Narnia Ranch
by Karleigh-Q
Summary: Modern-Day Lucy/Edmund AU! When Lucy goes to Narnia Ranch, she was expecting a summer like never before. Well, now that Edmund lives there, it exceeded expectations.   a/n: I hope this summary is a little better!
1. Uncle Diggory

This vacation was going to be great. I haven't seen Diggory and Polly in years, and now, with my parents going out of town for the summer, they're letting me stay on their farm, instead of going to summer advancement camp. Even though we're not related, they've always treated me like family. I also heard that they're in the middle of adopting a boy my age, so I'll have someone to talk to! This is going to be amazing!

* * *

I saw a familiar rusty Ford pick-up pulled up and a tall man with crazy, white hair get out and look around,

"UNCLE DIGGORY!" I shouted and he whipped his head around and met my eyes,

"Now, that can't be my little Lucy." I ran full throttle into his open arms and hugged him until he piped in, "We better get home, Polly's gonna be mad I kept you all to myself!" He picked up my bag and slung an arm over my shoulder while guiding me toward the passenger side of the truck. When we were both inside we took off toward Narnia Ranch.

* * *

"You're too skinny," He proclaimed after surveying me from the drivers seat, "Polly'll say the same."

"My mom has been on this new-age diet, and I don't have the money to buy my own food all the time." Uncle Diggory just grumbled at this. It was true, I have lost a few pounds due to my mother's obsession with always losing two more pounds, "I've been so excited about coming. I made all of my friends jealous talking about it," I started rambling. I had been looking forward to coming since December, when I got the letter saying that I was allowed to come,

"Well, Polly and I have been looking forward to having you," He took his eyes off the road to smile at me, before looking forward again, "We need a little excitement every once in a while." This confused me. I thought they just adopted,

"Didn't you and Aunt Polly just adopt someone my age?" Uncle Diggory frowned a little, like he was trying to think of how to answer my question,

"Edmund, but…" He trailed off, and frowned again, staying silent,

"Tell me about him!" I was practically bouncing in my seat, anxious for information on the boy no one would tell me about,

"Edmund is fifteen, so a year older than you, right?" I nodded, "He's," Uncle Diggory paused, "Quiet." What was so complex about quiet? I know lots of quiet people,

"Is he nice?" There was another tense silence,

"Lucy-Lu, I wouldn't expect much out of Edmund at first." Uncle Diggory tightened his grip on the steering wheel,

"Why? What's wrong with him," I asked him, a little scared. What shouldn't I expect?

"Edmund, he's been through a lot, and Polly and I learned the hard way you have to earn his trust." He was gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were turning white, "Don't go in expecting to be instant friends with him, because while he'll be nice to you…" Uncle Diggory trailed off but I got the picture. I nodded and we were silent the rest of the way to the farm.

A/N: It's short. But The next chapter will rock! For all reviewers, I have Ice Cream!


	2. We got Edmund

When I walked into the kitchen, Aunt Polly practically mauled me with hugs and kisses, before pushing me into a chair and thrusting a bowl of popcorn at me, which was weird, because I don't remember either of them eating popcorn.

"I didn't know you liked popcorn?" I asked with a full mouth of buttery amazingness. Aunt Polly was bustling around the kitchen, starting to make me lunch, because, just as Uncle Diggory had said, she thought I was too thin,

"I don't really. But when Edmund first moved in, it was one of the only things we could get him to eat, so we started buying it for him, and then Diggory grew attached so now we go through it like crazy." It was then we heard the front door shut quietly, and heavy footsteps walking down the hallway, "That will be Edmund." She walked over and stuck her head out the kitchen door and called down the hallway, "Edmund, come say hello to Lucy!" I heard a low voice reply something, but I couldn't hear what, but Aunt Polly could apparently, "Well, get in the shower and change." The voice said something again and Aunt Polly sighed, "I'll make you something to eat, and I'll put in some more popcorn." There was no response other than footsteps continuing down the hall, and the shower turning on,

"He's being very talkative today." I jumped, because I hadn't heard Uncle Diggory come in,

"I think the closer we get to finalization, the better he's getting. He's figuring out that this family isn't going to send him back." My eyes widened. That made him sound like a mail order package. There was a long pause until a boy my age walked in.

He was kind of lanky, like the rest of his body hadn't caught up with his arms and feet. His hair was dark, but because it was still wet I couldn't tell if it was black or brown. His eyes were an earthy brown, and were haunted, as if he had seen too much, too soon. His face was narrow with very plain features, but I imagine it would look nice with a grin on it. He wasn't ugly, that was for sure, but he wasn't gorgeous by any measure.

"Ah, come here Love!" Aunt Polly motioned him over, so he shuffled across the kitchen to her, with his shoulders slumped. She draped an arm around his shoulder, despite the fact that she had to reach up to do it. I tried not to giggle, but the picture was just too funny to not let one escape. Edmund looked at me and blinked several times, as if he were just registering my presences. I gave a little wave with a giant grin on my face. He just looked at me curiously, but didn't ask who I was. _Man, he IS quiet! _

"Edmund, this is Lucy. Lucy, this is our newest addition, Edmund." He studied me for a second, before I had to strain my ears to hear him slur out,

" S' nice to meet you." He gave me a small smile, which I replied with a face-splitting grin. He turned to Uncle Diggory, with a sad smile, "There's still time if you want to…" He trailed off, but I guess Uncle Diggory could finish the sentence. I think Aunt Polly could finish it as well, because she stilled in what she was doing and turned and looked at him. Both had dark looks on their faces,

"Boy, we've had this talk before. We're not sending you anywhere." I looked at Edmund and he was looking down at the linoleum flooring, his face unreadable. Aunt Polly's eyes were filling with tears, and she turned back around to continue making dinner. Uncle Diggory then did the most Un-Uncle Diggory thing I'd ever seen. He walked over, ran his hand through Edmund's wet hair, and kissed the top of his head, before guiding him to one of the kitchen chairs, and sitting down in the one between us. It was then that Aunt Polly put a bowl of popcorn in between the two of them. Edmund was silent the rest of the meal and left immediately after he was excused.

* * *

I was helping Aunt Polly wash dishes, when I found the courage to ask what had been on my mind all through dinner,

"Aunt Polly?" She looked at me and handed me another wet dish to dry,

"Yes Lovely?" She had a smile on her face, but her eyes were still sad,

"What is there still time for?" She stilled almost instantly, "You don't have to answer, if you don't think I should know." She sighed and turned back to washing the dinner dishes,

"Well, it's not exactly a secret. Edmund is sure we're going to put him back in the system. It's happened six times already. As you saw, he's not beautiful, which people seem to want, and he's not young, which even more people want. I guess to be fifteen and in the process of adoption is an oddity, but we needed someone who could help out, as well as be our kid." She laughed a little, "Instead we got Edmund." She pulled the plug on the sink, "He's not what we were expecting when we heard fifteen-year-old. We were expecting someone like you." She pinched my cheek on the word 'you', "Instead we got… Edmund."


	3. Picture Perfect

I woke up the next morning to laughter. It was Uncle Diggory and Aunt Polly's and someone's I didn't recognize. But people were always stopping in through the ranch to talk, so I didn't think much of it. After getting dressed, I followed the sound of laughter toward the kitchen, where Diggory and Polly were sitting at the worn, wood table with a middle-aged woman, around thirty five if I had to guess, with chocolate skin and ebony hair. Her build was slight and accentuated by the trendy power suit she was wearing. The three of them were passing around pictures of what looked like a tiny little boy, with pale skin and freckles. His hair was dark and eyes bright. I couldn't imagine why they would want to look at pictures of a random six-year-old. The lady looked up at me and smiled,

"You must be Lucy?" I nodded and she stuck out her hand, which I shook, "I'm Linda, Edmund's social worker." She handed me a picture of the boy in just his underwear, with a towel around his neck, and standing in a heroic pose, "He was cute when he was younger wasn't he?" I stared at the picture, but couldn't see the any of the sad, quiet young man I had met at dinner in this happy, playful little boy. I looked up at Linda,

"That's Edmund," I asked incredulously. Linda smiled sadly,

"Yup. When his brother heard how close the Kirks were getting to finalization, he sent the pictures all the way from Iraq," Linda took the super hero picture again. I sat down at the spare kitchen chair and listened to the laughter of the three adults as they flitted through pictures, wishing they knew the memories behind them. I think I was the only one who heard the door shut quietly, and heavy footsteps heading toward the kitchen. When Edmund walked in, he looked surprised at the company that was there,

"Linda, what are you doing here?" His voice was low, but not as quiet as yesterday. Everyone looked up at him and smiled,

"Hello Ed," Edmund scowled a little at the nickname, but it didn't faze Linda the social worker, "Your brother, Peter," Edmund really scowled at this and Linda faltered a little, but kept going anyway, "He sent me some of your baby pictures, so I brought them over to Diggory and Polly in celebration of the upcoming finalization." Ed walked over and saw the super hero picture and laughed, which seemed to shock everyone in the room. It wasn't an angry laugh, like his previous facial expression would've suggested, but an outright, joyous laugh. I liked it. It lit up his face and made the haunted look in his eyes disappear. For a moment, I could see the six-year-old superman in the face of the fifteen-year-old foster child. He pulled over another chair and sat at the table,

"Peter and I were picking out our Halloween costumes. My mom wanted me to be a policeman, like Peter, but I made my own costume." He let out another short laugh, holding the picture up, "I only made it halfway around the block before I had to go home and put on a shirt and pants." Everyone at the table laughed at the image of a tiny, shivering Edmund having to ruin his precious Halloween costume with proper clothes. Diggory handed him a picture of a pretty girl, in a poofy dress, smiling at the camera, and Edmund and another boy, this one a complete contrast to Edmund, with blonde hair and tan, clear skin, both pulling at matching blue suits, with uncomfortable frowns on their faces,

"The girl is my sister, Susan. She was happy that she got to dress up and my mom even put a little perfume on her. Peter and I," He gestured to the frowning boys in the picture, "We hated dressing up. I think we wore those suits twice the whole time they fit."

We handed him more pictures and he told us the stories behind them, It made me wonder what happened between six-years-old and fifteen that made him like this. When Linda handed him a picture without looking, as she had been doing for the last hour, he stared at it for a second, looked at us, before looking back at the picture. He shocked everyone when he tore the picture in half and stormed out the door. The three adults glanced at the two pieces before running after him. I picked up the pieces and saw a picture of the little Edmund lying on a hospital bed, bruised and beaten. I turned the pieces over and read the back:

_The People v. Andrew Taylor_

_Exhibit A_

_Edmund Miller_

_3/5/01_

I think I figured out what happened to Edmund.

Edmund's POV

I saddled one of the horses as quick as I could. If history spoke true, they would coming after me in no time. I hopped on Phillip and broke into a gallop almost immediatly. When we were a good distance away, I slowed down to a trot and just stared off into space. How could Peter send that picture? Does he not want me to get adopted? I'm happy here, can't he just accept that? I know he doesn't think I deserve to be happy, seeing as that was the last thing he said to me, before he left to join the army. I didn't mean for things to get that out of hand, but... Maybe someday he'll forgive me. Maybe someday I can stop being Exhibit A to him, and be Edmund, his little brother. Until then, I guess I should get ready for the Kirks to give me back.


	4. Rainstorms and Conversation

Edmund's POV

It was raining when I decided to ride back to the ranch. Phillip and I were going at a nice pace, just slow enough for me to get thoroughly soaked, and reached the barn in no time. I put Phillip in his stall and took off his saddle and bridle. Grabbing a brush, I started grooming the chestnut stead. He was nuzzling my hair and pockets, looking for treats,

"I don't have anything for you today." He shook his head with a snort and I laughed, continuing brushing. I heard the barn door squeak open, and turned, expecting to see Diggory walking in to give me another talk, but instead saw Lucy, Diggory and Polly's summer guest, slid in, umbrella in hand. I turned back to Phillip, hoping Lucy would leave me alone. I heard her approaching and all of those hopes were dashed.

She stood on the other side of Phillip, running her hands through her damp hair. She seemed like she wanted to help so I reached behind me and grabbed another brush and handed it to her. She gave me a small smile, and started to brush as well. Phillip gave a contented whinny and Lucy giggled, while I let out a little snort of laughter. We looked at each other and our eyes met in shock,

"I don't think we've properly met, I'm Lucy Pevensie." She held out her hand, and I shook it awkwardly,

"Edmund Miller," I responded quietly, returning to grooming Phillip. She grinned at my response. I'm going to guess that Diggory gave her a crash course on Edmund, because whenever I talk to her she grins from ear to ear,

"You know I'm here all summer?" I hummed in acknowledgement. I saw her grin falter a little, "So are you excited about getting adopted?" I stared at her,

"I'm trying to rein it in." She looked at me curiously,  
"Why? If you're excited, be excited," She told me, as if it really was that simple,

"I don't want to be let down again." She nodded sadly, and then perked up again,

"So, what's your family like," She asked and I froze. It was an innocent question, and I understand where the curiosity came from. After all, she was there when we were looking through precious family memories,

"What do you want to know about them?" She gaped at me in shock, amazed that I was actually going to tell her,

"I don't know, what's your sister like?"

"Susan is logical. She always sees things in black and white, but has the kindest heart I've ever seen." I swallowed back tears and continued, "She's living in Upstate New York with her adoptive parents. I don't hear a lot from her anymore, because her parents don't like me, so I get a letter every now and then." I swallowed back tears, but I guess Lucy didn't notice because she plowed on,

"What about your brother?" She was looking at me with big eyes and I was having trouble looking away from all the innocence in them,

"He joined the army as soon as he turned eighteen. He's fighting in…" I closed my eyes, trying to remember if I knew exactly where Susan last said he was, "I don't actually remember where he is now. I haven't talked to him in so long, he could be on the ranch and I wouldn't know it."

"Why don't you talk to him?" She asked me, her head tilted to the side, curiously,

"He blames me for getting the three of us stuck in foster care." Her eyes widened, but she didn't comment, thankfully,

"What about your parents? What were they like?" I sighed. _This is not a conversation I want to be having_,

"My mom is dead, I have no father, and my step-dad is in prison. Any other questions?" I snapped at her. I felt a little bad when she shook her head. We stood in an awkward silence for a few minutes, only broken by the sound of raindrops on the barn, "I'm sorry I yelled at you. That's just kind of a touchy subject." She looked up at me and gave me a watery smile, "Why don't you tell me about your family?" So she set in to tell me her entire life story, which, strangely, I enjoyed listening to. It was so unlike mine, it was happy and stable and normal. I hung on her every word like a litany. We had long since finished brushing Phillip and moved over to the bench on the side of the barn. We sat like that, her talking, me sitting and listening, until Diggory made us come up and eat.

* * *

Lucy's POV

I looked out the window and saw Edmund lead a chestnut horse into the barn. Acting on impulse, I grabbed an umbrella and made my way down to the barn.

The door squeaked as I opened it, and Edmund turned his dark gaze on me. Wordlessly, he turned back to the chestnut horse he was brushing. I set my umbrella by the door and walked over towards him. I stood on the other side of the horse, directly across from him, and wished I could help. He glanced at me and I ran my fingers through my hair, self consciously. He didn't say anything, just reached behind him and grabbed another brush and handed it to me. I smiled, and began to brush the horse. At the feeling of being brushed from two sides, the chestnut stead let out the horse version of a sigh of contentment. I gave a little giggle at the sound. At the same time, Edmund let out a small snort. I looked up and met his eyes in shock,

"I don't think we've properly met, I'm Lucy Pevensie." I held out my hand, which he shook awkwardly,

"Edmund Miller," He responded, in his normal whisper, before returning to brushing the horse. I grinned because, apparently, it was rare for him to talk to strangers. Let alone hold close to conversations,

"You know I'm here all summer?" He hummed and my grin slid a little. _No! We were getting so close!_ I decided to find something else to talk about,

"So are you excited about getting adopted?" He only stared before replying,

"I'm trying to rein it in." I didn't understand how he couldn't be elated over having a forever family,  
"Why? If you're excited, be excited," I told him, in a matter-of-fact way,

"I don't want to be let down again." It was then I remembered what Aunt Polly had said about being sent back six times. I didn't say anything, only nodded sadly. I perked up again when I remembered how happy talking about his family made him,

"So, what's your family like," He froze and I reliaze maybe this wasn't such a good topic after all. I was about to tell him he didn't have to tell me if he didn't want to, when he asked,

"What do you want to know about them?" I could only stare at him. After his initial reaction, I was sure he wouldn't want to tell me anything. I recovered quickly though and asked,

"I don't know, what's your sister like?"

"Susan is logical. She always sees things in black and white, but has the kindest heart I've ever seen." He paused here, but continued in a few seconds, "She's living in Upstate New York with her adoptive parents. I don't hear a lot from her anymore, because her parents don't like me, so I get a letter every now and then." I could see that talking about his sister was bothering him, so I changed the subject,

"What about your brother?" I stared into his haunted eyes, I'm sure my eyes were brimming with an innocence he lacked,

"He joined the army as soon as he turned eighteen. He's fighting in…" He closed his eyes, as if trying to remember something he'd forgotten, "I don't actually remember where he is now. I haven't talked to him in so long, he could be on the ranch and I wouldn't know it." I heard myself ask,

"Why don't you talk to him?" and then tilted my head, waiting for the answer,

"He blames me for getting the three of us stuck in foster care." My eyes bugged out, but I couldn't think of anything to say. So I moved on,

"What about your parents? What were they like?" He heaved a sigh and I realized this wasn't a conversation he wanted to be having,

"My mom is dead, I have no father, and my step-dad is in prison. Any other questions?" He snapped. I shook my head at his question, and looked down, tears welling in my eyes. We stood in silence, only broken by the rain outside, until he whispered, "I'm sorry I yelled at you. That's just kind of a touchy subject." I looked up at him and smiled a tearful smile. Then he asked me to tell him about my family. So I did. I practicly recalled my life to him, which he seemed to hang on every word. When we finished brushing the horse, whose name, I learned was Phillip, we went and sat on a bench on the side of the barn, and I kept talking. And he kept listening. Until Diggory made us come eat supper. I'm not sure, but I think a very strange friendship was formed today.

_A/n: I got a review! Lets shoot for another one shall we?_


	5. Adventure Girls

Lucy's POV

When I woke up the morning after Edmund and I's talk in the barn, I was coated in sweat and had kicked the sheets down to my ankles. After a quick shower, I got dressed in a green, spaghetti-strap top and modest, light denim shorts. I pulled my hair all the way up on my head and walked toward the kitchen.

When I walked in, Aunt Polly turned to look at me. She smiled and motioned for me to sit down, placing a plate of bacon and eggs in front of me,

"Morning Lovely! Trying to beat the heat, I see?" She motioned toward my outfit. I nodded and dug into the eggs, knowing they were fresh, and hadn't sat, like grocery store eggs. After finishing my breakfast in record time, and washing my plate, I asked Aunt Polly,

"Where are Diggory and Edmund?" After our talk last night, I wanted to find Edmund and see if I couldn't get to know him a little better. Polly took the dish from my hand and put it in the cupboard,

" They're down with the horses, getting ready for a group of Adventure Girls coming through later this morning. They're trying to earn their equestrian badges, so they booked the ranch for the day," She told me with a smile.

"Can I help?" I didn't know what I could do, but maybe something?  
"You should go down and see if they need you for anything. If not, I could use your help making twenty eight peanut butter and jelly sandwiches." I nodded and slid on my tennis shoes, before hopping out the door.

* * *

When I reached the barn, Diggory greeted me warmly. When I asked if I could help with anything, he took me by the arm and led me into the barn.

If I thought it was hot outside, it didn't even begin to cover the stifling heat of the inside of the horse barn. It was hotter than a sauna, and the smell of manure was everywhere. My eyes flitted to bench where Edmund and I had sat talking last night. No one was sitting there but there was a yellow t-shirt lying on the bench, which struck me as odd. I didn't see Edmund though, which was strange as well. I guess Diggory found it odd as well, because he muttered under his breath,

"Where is that boy?" It wasn't five seconds later that I learned who the yellow shirt belonged to. Because that was when Edmund walked into the barn, shirtless and sweat-soaked. My jaw almost dropped to the floor, because, despite his lanky appearance, Edmund was ripped.

"I've got all the chairs set up, and filled the water trough," Edmund told us as he walked in, sounding, for the first time, absolutely sure of himself, "Do you have the trivia booklet?" He finally looked up at us, spotted me, and froze. It was that millisecond when I relized I had been gawking at him. I picked my jaw up, at the same time that Edmund lunged for his shirt, and wrestled to get it on. Uncle Diggory laughed, and Edmund shot him a dirty glare. In response, Diggory just smiled and motioned for the two of us to follow him toward a storage cabinet in the back corner,

"Lucy, you can help get all these set up. Edmund knows where to put them and how to set them up." He opened the door and motioned towards several boxes on the floor of the closet, "I'm going to go help Polly make lunch for the little ankle biters!" He left the barn with another chuckle, and Edmund leaned down to pick up two of the boxes at once. I grabbed one, and followed him out toward the corral, where the horses were grazing and running around.

* * *

After fifteen minutes of trying to figure out the right order of the questions for the Equestrian quiz, we finally headed back up to the house. Walking up, Edmund kept looking at his feet. He had been silent the whole time we were placing question card, except to ask which card I thought came first, the horse's basic anatomy or putting on a saddle. Maybe I should've just stayed up at the house and made peanut butter and jelly,

"Thanks for your help," Edmund whispered suddenly, still looking at his feet. I smiled at him,

"I had fun. I learned a lot about the different parts of a saddle." He gave a small snort of laughter and I grinned at him, glad to see he wasn't angry at me, "I'm sorry I was staring at you earlier." His entire face turned red, though I couldn't be sure if it was from embarrassment or the heat. Looking back at his feet, he whispered,

"S' alright." We had reached the house, and Edmund opened the door for me,

"Thank you."

* * *

The rest of the day was spent making sure the Adventure girls didn't get into too much trouble. When dinner came along I noticed that Edmund didn't have fried chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy, like everyone else. Instead he, with a very sour face, ate a grilled chicken breast and steamed broccoli. I felt bad for him, because Aunt Polly's fried chicken has won state awards.

Now, Polly and I were washing the dinner dishes, and talking about the day,

"So, Lucy Lu, I heard you got quite a look at our Edmund today." Despite the busy day, I hadn't forgotten what Edmund looked like without his shirt,

"Yes," I replied meekly. She laughed and I blushed even redder than Edmund this afternoon,

"Diggory said Edmund looked like a cherry popsicle, for how red he turned when he saw you gaping."

"I wasn't gaping," I exclaimed indignantly. Just then, Diggory walked in,

"Oh yes, you were. You looked like a fish out of water." Polly laughed at this, "By the way, Edmund heard you yelling and has retreated to his room, looking like a popsicle again." Polly laughed even harder at that comment,

"The boy doesn't take compliments well." She put the last dinner dish away, still chuckling, "Most boys would enjoy having pretty young ladies looking at them." I turned red and left the kitchen, heading down the hall, toward my bedroom. As I lay, trying to go to sleep that night, all I could think about was Edmund, and how I was falling hard.

Edmund's POV

I woke up the morning after the barn conversation, as usual, at dawn. I grabbed a pair of plain shorts out of my bottom drawer, and my canary yellow 'Narnia Ranch' t-shirt. I walked into the kitchen and Polly turned around to look at me, before pointing at the kitchen table, where a glass of orange juice and one of my heart pills were sitting. I sighed and shook my head,

"I feel fine. I only need to take it when my chest hurts," I told her, reaching for a piece of toast. She took the spatula and slapped my arm with it,

"It's going to be hot today, and you'll be outside all day. Either you take that pill or I'm sending you back to bed." I opened my mouth to reply, but she only hit me with the spatula again. Diggory walked in, and we both turned to look at him, trying to get him on our side,

"What's going on," He asked, warily,

"He won't take his pill!" Diggory's eyes widened,

"Why? Does your chest hurt? Do we need to go to the hospital?" He was checking me up and down, looking to see if I was in pain. I just sighed,

"No. I'm fine," I exclaimed.

"Why does he need the pill then?"

"Polly thinks because it's hot out, I'm going to go into another attack."

"He's going to be working outside all day, which is a lot of strain on his body." Polly had the spatula up, ready to whack me again. It was also clear she would hit Diggory if he didn't get on her side,

"Ed, I think it's easier to pick our battles," He told me, clapping my shoulder. I sighed, knowing he was right. I went and took the stupid pill, another big reason no family would look twice at me. Who wants the quiet kid with the heart condition? Polly made a noise of contentment, and returned to making breakfast. When she put a plate of bacon and eggs in front of me, I wolfed them down, before she could take them back, claiming them bad for me today, and give me the "healthy" food that usually goes with the heart pill. Diggory just laughed, understanding what I was doing. When we were both done, Diggory and I headed down to the barn to get ready for the adventure girls.

* * *

When we reached the barn, we started to go through the motions of getting ready. In the six months that I'd been here, I'd really gotten the hang of the whole "rancher" thing. In fact, Diggory and I had it down to a science,

"I'll put the horses out in the corral, if you want to start grabbing chairs." I nodded,

"How many do we need?" I knew there were twenty-eight girls coming, but I didn't know about chaperones,

"Thirty five should do it." It was twenty minutes that we had all the chairs and horses out in the corral, I was starting to set them up, when Diggory left the corral to go somewhere. I had stripped out of my shirt, because it was at least ninety degrees. It was sitting on a bench in the barn. I finished with the chairs and filled the horse's water trough, so they had something to drink while the girls got their lesson. I also shut the gate, separating where the chairs were set up, from where the horses were roaming free. I walked back into the barn, spotted Diggory out of the corner of my eye and started prattling off,

"I've got all the chairs set up, and filled the water trough," I walked further into the barn, "Do you have the trivia booklet?" This was when I decided to look up. And spotted Lucy, staring at me. I froze, realized I was shirtless, and lunged for my t-shirt. The shirt and I had a wrestling match, where the shirt was almost victorious, and the whole time Diggory was cracking up. Once I had my shirt back on, I shot him a dirty glare. He, to my dissatisfaction, just smiled and motioned for us to follow him to the back storage cabinet. He showed us what boxes were the trivia books and then headed back up to the house to make PB&J for twenty-eight.

I grabbed two of the boxes and Lucy grabbed the last one and we spent the next fifteen minutes trying to set up the equestrian test in the corral. I didn't say much, only asked for her help on which question would come first. I was still a little embarrassed about being caught shirtless.

Walking back up to the house, we were still silent and I was staring at my shoes. I realized that if I was going to say something, this would be the time,

"Thanks for your help," That was brilliant. I look at her from the corner of my eye but still didn't look up. She was smiling at me,

"I had fun. I learned a lot about the different parts of a saddle." I looked up at her and gave a small snort of laughter. The test does go into depth on identifying where you sit on a saddle, "I'm sorry I was staring at you earlier." I flushed again, hoping she would think it was from the heat. I whispered,

"S' alright." We had reached the house, and I opened the door for her. Chivalry isn't completely dead,

"Thank you."

* * *

It was a long day. Keeping twenty-eight elementary school girls out of trouble is not easy. When I dragged myself back up to the house, all I wanted to do was shower and fall in bed. That was until I smelt dinner. Polly was making fried chicken. Suddenly, dinner sounded so much better than sleep.

I walked into the kitchen and saw the giant plate of chicken as well as the bowl of mashed potatoes. Then I saw the separate plate, with the more heart healthy meal on it; a grilled chicken breast and steamed broccoli. Polly saw me looking at the fried chicken longingly, and grabbed the spatula again,

"You just try it," She warned. I sighed,

"Why tonight?" I whined. I may be fifteen, but I am not above whining when it comes to Polly's fried chicken,

"You know the rules. You already had a breakfast that was against the rules, and I don't want to take you to the hospital over some fried chicken." I could tell by her tone that there would be no argument, so I just slumped my way down to the shower.

I grumped all through dinner as I ate the meal the doctors had proclaimed "healthy". I hated every bite of the flavorless chicken and soggy broccoli. I wasn't even allowed to put any salt on them. When dinner was over, Polly sent me into the living room to relax while she and Lucy cleaned up dinner.

Diggory and I were watching the evening news, when I heard Lucy yell in the kitchen,

"I wasn't Gaping!" I took this opportunity to turn beat red and run down to my room and shut the door quickly. I could hear Diggory's laughter down the hallway.

**a/n: Edmund's heart condition will be a big part later in the story. It's not just something I threw in! _Reviews=Love!_**


	6. Flashback

Lucy's POV

When I woke up the next morning, I discovered I was even more muddled on what to do about my Edmund problem. I decided maybe a call home would help, so I padded toward the kitchen, still in my pajamas, to ask Aunt Polly to use the phone,

"Aunt Polly," I questioned, walking into the small kitchen,

"Yes Lovely?" She was, as usual, bustling around the counters, making something delicious,

"Do you think I could call a friend of mine back home? She was jealous that I was coming, and I swore I'd tell her all about it." _Not to mention, your future son is driving me crazy, just by existing,_ I added silently,

"Of course Love. I think the cordless is in Edmunds room, from when a friend of his called last night." She stirred something in a pot, "You can get that and talk in your room." I nodded and walked down the hall, toward the one room in the house I hadn't been in, since returning to Narnia Ranch.

* * *

I knocked on the door, but no one answered. I knocked again, and the door popped open. I took this as an invitation to enter, and walked into Edmund's room.

It was different than any other boy's room. The walls were painted a navy blue, and he had hung up a few posters of bands I don't know. Aside from his cluttered desk and unmade bed, the room was spotless. There were no clothes on the floor, and none of his dresser drawers were left open. I walked over to the desk to see if I could find the phone there.

I saw several framed photos, all of the same three people; one man in an army uniform, an amazingly beautiful girl, and a very pale Edmund. I picked one of these pictures up and ran my fingers over Edmund's, paler than normal, face. I was so distracted, I didn't hear Edmund come in until a quiet, deep voice behind me asked,

"What are you doing in here?" I whipped around so fast, I'm sure I gave myself whiplash. He was standing in the doorway, looking at me. He didn't look mad, but he didn't look pleased either,

"Well…I was…I…" Faced with his intense gaze, I couldn't seem to form a coherent thought, much less a sentence,

"Polly told me you were looking for the phone," He said, walking towards me. His gaze never left me; therefore, I was feeling quite a lot like the scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, a little brainless,

"Yes, well I…" I trailed off again when he took the photo from my hands, and held it up a little,

"This isn't the phone." I hung my head,

"I'm sorry. I liked the picture, I shouldn't have snooped." He let out a little sigh,

"It was the last time we were all really together." He ran his fingers over the faces in the picture, "I was in the hospital from a heart attack." I gasped, and he chuckled a little, "Susan made her parents drive her three hours to visit me, and Peter took leave to come and see me." He chuckled again, "When I saw them, I nearly had another heart attack. The nurses all came in when my heart rate spiked." All signs of humor were gone from his face. He didn't seem to be in the room anymore. He was lost in a memory,

"Susan had already left, and Peter was on his way out. The last thing he told me was that I deserved this. That it was my fault we were separated, and that he couldn't protect us anymore." I don't think he was talking to me at this point. I think he was talking to someone who wasn't in the room to listen, "I haven't talked to him since. We saw each other at Susan's High School Graduation, but didn't say anything. We put on a good face, because it was Susan's day, but…" He trailed off, but I knew where he was going, "He's tried to muck up every adoption since then. Sending a picture or a letter, he doesn't think I deserve to be adopted." Edmund sighed, running his fingers over the face of his older brother, "He used to be my hero, and now I don't even really like him." He put the picture down, and picked the phone up, handing it to me, "I think you were looking for this." He deadpanned, motioning me out his door. As I scurried out the door, I heard him call, "Nice P.J.'s!"

* * *

As I quickly dialed the number for my best friend, Marjorie Preston, my hands were shaking from Edmund's intense gaze. I don't think I've ever been that scared in my life. The phone was ringing and someone picked up on the other side,

"Hello?"

"Hi, is Marjorie there," I asked, my voice surprisingly strong. I definitely wasn't feeling strong,

"This is her, is this Lucy," She asked, and then I broke down. I sobbed into the receiver for at least five minutes, while Marjorie made shushing sounds on the other end. When I finally calmed down, Marjorie started to speak up,

"Lucy, what's wrong?" I hiccupped, and she sighed, "It doesn't sound like you're having all the fun that was promised." I gave a watery laugh,

"You know how I told you Polly and Diggory were adopting?" She made a tiny hum of acknowledgement, "Well, his name is Edmund, and I think I…" I trailed off, but by the gasp on the other side of the line, she knew where I was going,

"You didn't, did you?" I was silent, and she squealed, "You Did! Oh Lucy, it sounds like you'll be having even more fun than you anticipated," She said suggestively. I gasped,

"Marjorie!"

"What?" She responded innocently, "So tell me everything! How old is he? What does he look like? Is he outspoken or more of the silent, brooding type?" She managed to say all this in one breath, and was, inevitably, gasping for breath,

"Well, he's fifteen, so a year older."

"Going for the older man, I see," She laughed, and, even though she couldn't see it, I frowned,

"Do you want to hear about him or not?" That ended her laugh fairly quickly,

"Alright, I'll be good."

"Well, as for what he looks like, he's not gorgeous, just mysterious."

"Mysterious?" She questioned. When I gave a small hum, she continued, "What does that mean?"

"Well, he has brown hair, that just kinda sits on his head like a mop," She gave a snort of laughter, "He's really pale and lanky looking, but I saw him in the barn with his shirt off, and well…" Marjorie burst into giggles, and I turned red, remembering the look on his face when he saw me standing there, and, I'll admit it, gawking at him,

"Well, little Miss Lucy!" I couldn't help but laugh at this, "So what else? I need details!" She was so excited, I broke into another fit of giggles. When I had finally calmed down enough to continue,

"His face is plain, but when he smiles, it just lights up." She giggled a little, but didn't interrupt, "His eyes are brown, but there is so much emotion in them, it's scary sometimes." I sighed, remembering how his gaze had dropped it's guarded intensity, when I was talking about my family, and his eyes looked close to innocent,

"So what's so "Mysterious" about him?"

"He has an aura around him, like the second you figure him out, he does something to change your whole opinion."

"So I take it he doesn't go around shouting and cheering how he's feeling?" Well, that is right on the money,

"No, he's ridiculously quiet. He barely says anything to me," I told her, exasperated, "If I didn't hear him talking to Polly and Diggory, I'd have thought he was mute!" She laughed,

"You have it bad." I frowned,

"Thanks for the information. I hadn't figured that one out yet," I told her sarcastically, "What do I do about it?"

"Well, you could start with trying to get to know him better, ask him about his favorite color or something." I smiled,

"That's a great idea. Why didn't I think to ask about the stupid stuff first!"

"First?"

"I've been trying to learn about his family, but he always gets mad! Marjorie, you're a genius!" She laughed,

"I know. So aside from Edmund, how has the rest of your vacation been?" And so I spent the next twenty minutes telling her about my time at Narnia Ranch, which involved a lot of Edmund.

* * *

After I got dressed, I went into the kitchen for lunch, and I saw Edmund eating a fried bologna sandwich, and smirking at me. I remembered the last look he had given me, and found this to be a welcome, yet unsettling, change,

"Hi," I greeted meekly. He nodded his head in my direction, the smirk never leaving his face. I realized it was just the two of us in the kitchen, and frowned a little. When he finished his sandwich, he walked over, washed his plate and put it away, before turning to look at me, still smirking. His eyes were lit up with mirth, and I wished I knew why,

"So I'm "mysterious", am I?" My jaw dropped and I struggled to find the right words. He hopped up onto the counter, still smirking. That was making it even harder to think,

"How much did you hear," I whispered, not able to look him in the face. I did hear the laughter, and could practically feel the smirk in the room,

"That you don't think I'm gorgeous, 'just mysterious.' Figured it was private conversation, so I didn't listen in." I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God he has more manners than I do. I would've stayed and listened, "I do have one question though." I looked up at him and it looked like he was trying to reign in his laughter,

"What is it," I squeaked out. He finally lost the battle and cracked up,

"Was that a compliment or an insult?" He strode out of the room, and I nearly died on the spot.

Edmund's POV

When I woke up, I noticed it was a little later than when I normally get up. I blame Corin.

Corin is my best friend from school. However, when he called at 10:00 last night, wanting to talk until midnight, I didn't take into consideration having to get up the next day. Now, realizing I still had to work today, midnight didn't seem too smart. I stumbled down to the kitchen and sunk into a chair. Polly just laughed at me,

"I take it Corin had a lot to talk about last night?" I grimaced,

"He's trying to talk me into going to this party a girl from school is throwing. She won't let him come, unless he brings me." Polly laughed again, and put breakfast in front of me. After I had started eating, she turned back to the stove, putting ingredients into a pot,

"It's not that Aravis Taylor is it?" She cut up an onion with force, "The one that stalked you last year?"  
"Yup," I told her with my mouth full, swallowing quickly, "All because I turned her down for Winter Formal." Polly laughed again,

"Well, Diggory and I have a meeting with our lawyer about finalization this afternoon, but should be back in time for dinner." I swallowed my orange juice,

"Do I need to be there?" She shook her head,

"Why don't you and Lucy do something today?" I shrugged my shoulders,

"I'll ask her when she gets up." Polly nodded her head and picked up her spatula,

"Now get back to work boy!" I laughed a little, and walked out the door.

* * *

Walking inside, after completing my morning chores, Polly yelled from the kitchen,

"Lucy is in your room looking for the phone. Go help her will you." So I paced down the hall, spotting my door ajar. Walking inside, I saw Lucy standing at my desk, holding one of the pictures of Peter, Susan, and I,

"What are you doing in here?" She whipped around to stare at me, looking guilty at being caught. I just stared at her,

"Well… I was… I…" She couldn't seem to get out sentences, though I didn't know why. I guess I could help her out,

"Polly told me you were looking for the phone," I reminded, walking over, still staring at her,

"Yes, well I…" She seemed incapable of finishing the sentence. I took the framed photo from her, and held it up a little,

"This isn't the phone." She looked at her feet in guilt,

"I'm sorry. I liked the picture, I shouldn't have snooped." I sighed, remembering when this happened.

_*Flashback *_

_I left the playroom of the New York Home for orphans, and found Sister Mary Catherine, still rubbing my chest with my right arm, because my left was too numb to move,_

"_Sister Mary Catherine," I called out tentatively. She turned around and smiled at me. That's why I like her. She always smiles,_

"_Yes Edmund?" I rubbed my chest again, and the smile faded a little,_

"_I don't feel good. My chest really hurts and my arm is numb." The smile slipped a little more. It completely faded when my breathing picked up. I felt like I had just run a mile. She took me in her arms and yelled,_

"_Someone call 911! I think Edmund is having a heart attack," It went black._

Lucy's gasp brought me out of my reverie, and I chuckled,

"Susan made her parents drive three hours to visit me, and Peter took leave to come and see me," I chuckled again, remembering the look on the nurse's faces.

_*Flashback *_

"_I think he's waking up," I heard a light female voice say. From the way it cracked, there had been tears lately. A strong male voice replied,_

"_It's about time!" I pried my eyes open, but groaned when the sterile white of the room hit me. When I had adjusted to the room, I turned my head and saw my brother and sister, sitting in chairs in the hospital room. It scared me so much my heart rate shot up, and three nurses came flying in ready to medicate me. Upon seeing that I was, indeed, fine they walked back out, grumbling. Once they had left, Susan ran to hug me,_

"_Oh Eddie, You're okay!" I frowned at the nickname,_

"_Don't call me Eddie." She just gave a watery laugh and hugged me tighter. Peter walked over and clasped me on the shoulder,_

"_How are you feelin' Ed?" I looked at him with a completely neutral expression,_

"_Like I just had a heart attack, how about you," He started chuckling, and pulled me tight to his chest, the brass buttons on his uniform digging into my face, "Ow, Pete, watch the uniform!" He let go, but ruffled my hair. Susan crawled in beside me on the small bed, snuggling into my chest,_

"_When Linda called, I made mom and dad drive me all the way here, I was so worried." She started rubbing circles on my stomach, like she did when we were kids and I had a nightmare, "Then I got to the waiting room, and Peter was already there." She sighed, "When the nun," She paused, like she was trying to remember her name,_

"_Sister Mary Catherine," I offered, and she snapped her fingers,_

"_Yes, when she told us you were in critical condition…" She trailed off, but buried her head deeper into my chest, listening to my heart,_

"_Susan, I'm fine. They'll let me out soon, and then I'll go back to the orphanage, and everything will be back to normal." I lifted my arm, which had a number of tubes stuck in it, and started to rub circles on her back,_

"_You're thirteen! Thirteen year olds don't have stage four heart attacks!" She was close to hysterics, sobbing into my chest. I shot Peter a pleading look and he laughed, but didn't do anything. There was a beeping, and I realized Susan had knocked my IV out. Her head shot up, as she looked me over, "What happened? Are you alright? Do you need something?" I held up the IV tube she had knocked loose. She sighed in relief, "I thought you were hurt!" I gave an exasperated groan,_

"_I'm going to be in twenty minutes!" She looked at me in confusion. Peter was laughing again,_

"_Su, those are his pain meds." A look of understanding dawned on her face, and she giggled as well.

* * *

_

_The weekend had been amazing. For being in a hospital, I was having a pretty good time. Right before Susan left, she had her parents go and get me a bunch of magazines and books to entertain myself. Her dad even took a picture of the three of us for me. Peter was getting ready to go back to base. He kissed me on the forehead, told me to get well soon, and headed out the door. Before walking out, he turned around and looked at me,_

"_You deserve this you know." I just stared at him,_

"_Deserve what?"_

"_This. The orphanage, the hospital, all of it. If you hadn't have told that lady that Andrew hit you, we would still be together. I could protect all of you. Susan didn't deserve to be put in foster care, I didn't deserve to be taken away from my father, you deserve it." I had tears in my eyes. Peter, my big brother, my hero, was telling me that I deserved to be in a hospital in critical condition. He sent me a final glare, before stalking out the door._

"I haven't talked to him since. We saw each other at Susan's High School Graduation, but didn't say anything. We put on a good face, because it was Susan's day, but…" I trailed off, remembering the tense air between Peter and I that day, "He's tried to muck up every adoption since then. Sending a picture or a letter, he doesn't think I deserve to be adopted." With a sigh, I ran my fingers over the face of my older brother, when he was still my personal superman, "He used to be my hero, and now I don't even really like him." I, carefully, placed the picture on my desk, before grabbing the phone and handing it to her, "I think you were looking for this." I motioned out the door. She close to ran out the door, and I called after her, "Nice P.J.'s!"

I lay flopped on my bed for a good ten minutes, just staring at the ceiling. Finally, I was too hungry to ignore anymore, so I walked down to the kitchen to find something to eat.

I started down the hall, before I heard the conversation coming from Lucy's room,

"Well, he's fifteen, so a year older." I stopped, and walked over to the door. I wonder why she's talking about me. There was a pause,

"Do you want to hear about him or not?" Well, I'd like to hear about him, but that's just me,

"Well, as for what he looks like, he's not gorgeous, just mysterious." I almost cracked up. It's not like I haven't been called that before. In fact, the girls at school call me that all the time. I guess I just didn't expect it from Lucy. I continued down the hallway, figuring I had heard enough.

* * *

I don't know how long it was exactly it was, but it was enough for me to make a sandwich and start eating, when Lucy came into the kitchen, now fully dressed, which was a shame, because the Daffy Duck p.j.'s were awesome. I didn't say anything, just smirked at her,

"Hi." She sounded a little scared and I nodded, but kept smirking. It was just the two of us home, which seemed to unsettle her even more, because she frowned. I finished my lunch, washed my plate and put it away, before smirking at her. She looked like it was killing her that she didn't know why I was smirking, so I decided to let her in on the secret,

"So I'm 'mysterious', am I?" Her jaw dropped and she looked like a fish out of water. I just hopped on the counter (Polly would kill me if she knew) and waited for her to figure out what to say,

"How much did you hear," She asked in a whisper, not looking straight at me. I just laughed at her. This is revenge for yesterday,

"That you don't think I'm gorgeous, 'just mysterious.' Figured it was a private conversation, so I didn't listen in." She visibly relaxed and I almost wished I 'd stayed. I think to make up for yesterday I have to add one little bit,

"I do have one question though." She looked up at me, and I tried not to laugh,

"What is it?" Her voice was high pitched and squeaky, making me lose the fight to not laugh,

"Was that a compliment, or an insult?" I strode out of the room, feeling like revenge had been fully gained.


	7. Telephone

A/N: I got a question the other day. This story takes place in the U.S. This is simply for the fact that I know more about the American foster care system than the British one. I'm sorry to anyone who gets offended by this tiny change. Also, if you haven't picked up on it, this is modern day!

Edmund's POV

It was the night of the big party that Corin was trying to get me to go to. In fact, I was on the phone with him right now,

"How many times do I have to say it, I Don't Want To Go!" He sighed on the other end,

"And how many times do I have to say it, PLEASE!" I laughed and walked into the kitchen,

"No, she creeps me out. Her and all of her friends," I told him, waving at Polly and Lucy, who were baking something,

"Come on! She'll kick me out if I don't bring you. Be a friend, a pal, a compadre!" I laughed again,

"I'm not going to willingly walk into the house of my stalker."  
"She doesn't stalk you anymore!"

"Yeah, not since we called the cops because she had snuck in my room, during school, and was stealing my clothes." I heard Lucy gasp and Polly growl a little. Corin, on the other hand, was laughing hysterically. Once he had calmed down enough, he kept trying to convince me,

"Come on, you can bring that girl, umm… Lily!"

"You mean Lucy?" I heard Polly in the background,

"Oh no, you're not getting her mixed up in all this!" I guess Corin heard her as well, because he exclaimed,

"Was that Polly? Let me talk to her!" I laughed and held the phone out to her,

"Corin wants to talk to you." She took the phone,

"Hello Corin." A pause, "I don't like that girl, so I don't want him anywhere near her." A shorter pause, "Well, that's up to her, but yes, that would work." A sense of dread was filling me now. Corin could sweet-talk anyone into anything. Polly handed the phone out to Lucy,

"He wants to talk to you." I groaned, and Lucy took the phone,

"Um, hello?" A pause, "Well, I…" Another pause, "Yeah, it would, but…" Long pause, in which Lucy blushed, "I guess it would be fun." She handed me the phone back. I took it, and heard Corin laughing before I even had it up to my ear,

"You know you're going to the party right?" He told me, and I groaned,

"I hate you."

Lucy's POV

I was helping Polly bake some cinnamon bread. We were laughing and joking, when we heard Edmund's footsteps down the hallway, and him talking to someone.

He walked into the kitchen, on the cordless phone,

"No, she creeps me out. Her and all of her friends." I wonder who he's talking to. He waved at us and sat listening to whatever the other person was saying,

"I'm not going to willingly walk into the house of my stalker." I almost gasped out loud. Edmund was stalked. There was another pause, "Yeah, not since we called the cops because she had snuck in my room, during school, and was stealing my clothes." I did gasp out loud this time. Polly actually growled a little. There was another pause, "You mean Lucy?" My eyes widened. How was I in the same conversation as Edmund's stalker. Polly growled again,

"Oh no, you're not getting her mixed up in all this!" What exactly is this? There was a thirty second pause, before Edmund handed the phone to Polly,

"Corin wants to talk to you." She took the phone,

"Hello Corin." A pause, "I don't like that girl, so I don't want him anywhere near her." A shorter pause, "Well, that's up to her, but yes, that would work." Polly handed the phone out to me,

"He wants to talk to you." Edmund groaned from the kitchen table, and I took the phone,

"Um, hello?"

"Hi Lucy, I'm Corin. Do you want to go to a party tonight?"

"Well, I…"

"It'll be fun" Corin interrupted,

"Yeah, it would, but…"

"Come on, Edmund needs a pretty girl to protect him from the wicked bitch!" I blushed. This guy was a sweet talker, that's for sure. Plus, a date with Edmund…

"I guess it would be fun." I handed the phone back to Edmund and there was a pause, before Edmund groaned,

"I hate you."


	8. The Party

Lucy's POV

After getting the cinnamon bread in the oven, Polly and I sat at the table with glasses of lemonade,

"So how did Edmund get a stalker?" Polly growled a little and I shrank back in my chair, not knowing if this was a very good story, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." I had said that so many times this summer I was starting to get sick of it!

"Well, there is a family in town, the Taylors, and their daughter, Aravis, stores her horse here. Well, shortly after Edmund came to live with us, she saw him brushing her horse, Hwin, and threw a temper tantrum." I furrowed my eyebrows,

"Why? Wasn't he doing her a favor?" Polly glared at her lemonade glass,

"He was doing his job. The Taylors pay us to feed and groom their horse, but Aravis didn't know that Edmund had just moved in, and was working for us."

"Well, what happened?" Polly laughed,

"Well, Edmund just stood there peacefully while she screamed at him, and when she was done, he calmly tossed her the brush and said, and I quote, 'Screw it, brush her yourself,' before gracefully walking out of the barn. That was the only day we considered giving him back, we thought he might be too much for us to handle." I internally gasped. Polly and Diggory had considered getting rid of Edmund?  
"Well, what happened after that? It doesn't sound like they got off to a very good start." Polly took a drink of her lemonade,

"Well, the next day at school, Aravis found Edmund and declared him worthy to take her to the Winter Formal." I scoffed at this. Who was this girl that people had to prove themselves to be worthy of her attention? Polly hummed in agreement, "Well, I guess she's never heard the word no before, because when Edmund turned her down, everyone was shocked. Well, she became obsessed with him after that, following him to classes, and watching him in the barn when she came to ride Hwin. It all made him very uncomfortable, but we told him to wait it out to see if she would go away." Polly growled a little, "She didn't. It was when we found her in Edmund's room, rustling through his drawers, taking his undershirts, that we called the police, but didn't press charges. We did, however, go have a nice long talk with Mr. and Mrs. Taylor." Polly laughed and I laughed with her. We fell into a companionable silence, "So you have a big party tonight? Are you excited?" I blushed, remembering that I was going to the party as Edmund's date (well, fake date, but I'm not about to argue specifics).

"I don't really have anything to wear to a party. I wasn't really planning on doing much partying this summer." Polly furrowed her eyebrows,

"Well, lets go see what we can dig up." And with that, we headed down the hall and spent the next three hours getting me ready for the party.

* * *

Edmund was sitting on the couch with a blonde boy, and they were talking in whispers when I came in, decked out for the party.

After twenty minutes of searching through all the clothes in my suitcase, Polly and I finally came up with something that was somewhat acceptable. I had on a yellow tunic with a baby blue, floral top underneath. It was paired with a plain pair of denim jeans and my tennis shoes, simply because I didn't bring any other shoes. Polly had curled all of my hair and it was sitting at my shoulders. I didn't have any makeup on, because I didn't have any to wear, but Polly did let me borrow a strand of her pink plastic pearls. All and all, I think it worked.

I cleared my throat, because they still hadn't noticed my coming in, and they both looked up. Edmund's eyes widened, and he stood up a little shakily.

He looked amazing as well. He had on jeans as well, but they weren't hanging down by his butt like most guys do. They fit just right. Not baggy, but not skinny jeans either. He just had on a plain black t-shirt, which was loose, but not baggy. His hair was brushed to the side, looking silky and soft, and he had on his usual work boots. His face looked flushed and I hoped I was the reason why.

"You look really nice." His voice sounded weak, and I tilted my head to look at him. I was about to ask if he was all right, when the blonde boy piped in,

"I must agree." I turned my gaze on him, "I'm Corin Archenland, of the New York Archenlands." I laughed and held out my hand for him to shake,

"I'm Lucy Pevensie. I'm not famous enough to get a title." He laughed and kissed my hand. I took in his appearance, noticing he was Edmund's polar opposite.

His hair was blonde and messy, but it was the styled kind, like he had spent three hours to get that just out of bed look. His blue eyes were lit with mirth and he was short but muscular, like you knew he could knock you flat.

He was dressed in far more expensive clothes. I mean, he was head-to-toe American Eagle and Aeropostale. His jeans, fit a little tighter than Edmunds, but weren't skinny jeans yet. And his t-shirt had the giant A&E logo on the front and was tight enough that it was showing off his impressive abs, and I couldn't help but wish that Edmund was wearing that shirt. He had on Aeropostale flip-flops and was smirking.

"Well, lets get going shall we?" He gestured us both out the door, but not before stopping and placing a kiss on Polly's cheek, "I'll have them back by 11:30." I giggled and Edmund rolled his eyes when Aunt Polly blushed.

We walked out the door, and I saw the shiny truck sitting in the driveway. I don't know much about cars, but I could tell

this was a nice one,

"Do you like her?" Corin asked, grinning, "I got her for my sixteenth birthday two weeks ago, same day I got my license." He had a proud smirk on his face, patting the hood of the big truck.

"It's lovely." Edmund opened the back door for me, and I climbed in. I don't know who said chivalry was dead, but whoever they were, they hadn't met Edmund Miller. After Edmund closed the door with shaking hands, he walked around to open the passenger door and he climbed in.

* * *

When Corin pulled into the yard and parked, I looked at the house and gaped. It was nothing, if not a palace. My house isn't small and I'm pretty sure it could fit inside the foyer. When Edmund helped me out of the truck, his face was red and his hands were shaking. I couldn't help but smirk. I guess I look better than I thought.

As we approached the house, a stick skinny girl sprinted toward us and rushed at Edmund. His hand moved from where it was clutching my hand to wrap around my waist. The warm heat made a shiver run up my spine.

"EDMUND!" She exclaimed, in mock surprise, "I didn't know you were coming!"  
"Hello Aravis." Edmund deadpanned. So this was Aravis Taylor. I can see why no one says no to her. She's gorgeous!

She had silky black hair that was straightened and perfectly smooth, like, no matter what, no piece would ever get out of place. She had a bronze skin tone, almost Indian looking, and alluring purple eyes. Her makeup was done to perfection, and I felt almost prudish next to her outfit.

She was wearing a tiny black mini-skirt and a blue tube top, that wasn't covering much. She had a long, cotton vest on top, but it wasn't doing much. Her boots were lace up and knee high. However, what most girls would pull off as slutty, she managed to make look high-end.

She stepped closer to Edmund, grabbing his other arm. Aravis nuzzled close to his face, and Edmund turned to glare at Corin, who scampered off. Edmund pulled me a little closer and pulled his arm lose from Aravis's death grip. I would've cared more about the death glare Aravis was shooting me, if I wasn't firmly pressed against Edmund's side, feeling his quick, shallow breath against me. Was I the one doing that to him?

"Edmund, who's your friend?" Aravis asked, in a sickly sweet tone.

"This is my date, Lucy." I shivered at the word date. Aravis, however, glared at me.

"Oh, I didn't know you were bringing a date."

"Well, if it's not okay, we can leave. I'm sure we can find something to do." I took a step closer to Edmund at the look she was giving me, and he wrapped his arm a little tighter around me. Aravis finally shook her head and looked at Edmund with a dazzling smile,

"Oh, of course not! Come in, I think the band was just getting ready to start another song." I looked up at Edmund and saw him rolling his eyes, before leading me inside.

"So, Lucy, I love your top." Aravis told me, with one of her dazzling smiles and I frowned,

"Really?" Edmund groaned beside me, right before Aravis replied,

"Yeah, I had one just like it when I was seven." She then flipped her hair and walked away into the crowd of people.

* * *

The party was really fun. Edmund and I had, for the most part, just sat on one of the love seats and talked. I learned his favorite color is blue, is favorite animal is a lion, and his favorite food is Polly's fried chicken. I, once again, found myself doing all the talking, but I got more out of Edmund than I ever had before. Suddenly, we heard a commotion and turned to see Corin in the middle of a fight with two boys who were a great deal bigger than him. Edmund sighed, but stood up and walked over to the fight.

I didn't get to see the outcome because a boy, who looked to be around eighteen, stumbled drunkedly over to me,

"Hey, I haven't seen you before." He slurred. He reeked of alchohal, and I was getting a little scared. Where was Edmund?

"Um, I'm here with a friend." My voice sounded small and the mystery guy took a few steps closer,

"My name is Rabadash Tisroc, and you," He looked me from head to toe and I'd never felt more exposed, "Are very pretty." He backed me up to the wall and loomed over me. I let out a small whimper as he reached his hand out to touch my hip, before I heard Edmund's heroic yell of,

"Oi," before he grabbed Rabadash by the shoulder and punched him in the face. In his inebriated state, Rabadash fell and didn't get up, simply lay on the floor and groaned. Edmund turned and looked at me,

"Are you all right? He didn't hurt you did he?" His voice was weaker than ever, and he was gasping for breath. I shook my head no and Edmund grabbed my arm gently,

"Lets get out of here, before he wakes up and kicks my ass." We walked outside and sat on a bench,

"So what was Corin's fight about?" Edmund gave a weak chuckle, his breathing still a little labored,

"Corin is really good at talking himself into situations. He's not so good at talking himself out." I laughed, then noticed how close Edmund and I were. He looked into my blue eyes and started to lean closer, his eyes now on my lips. What happened next happened so quick, it's hard to remember it all. One second, I can feel Edmund's breath on my lips, and the next he's laying at the foot of the bench, gasping. I dropped down and heard him gasping out,

"Heart attack, get Corin, 911," before he stopped breathing and his eyes fluttered shut. I spotted some girls crying on the back porch and yelled for help, before turning Edmund over and beginning CPR. They ran over and between compressions, I relayed Edmund's instructions; get Corin, call 911. What seemed like hours later, Edmund was being loaded into an ambulance, and Corin and I were going to meet it at the hospital. _Please let Edmund be okay!

* * *

_

Edmund's POV

My chest was a little sore, nothing major, but I decided to go lay down and take a nap before I had to get ready for the party I was manipulated into. I could use my chest hurting as an excuse not to go, but then Polly and Diggory would make me go to the hospital and I'd have to have all kinds of tests and it just wasn't worth it.

My short nap, however, was ended when Corin catapulted himself on my bed three hours later.

"Wake up lazy ass!" He pulled the covers off of me, before going to my closet and pulling clothes out, "It's party time!" I groaned, but sat up. I rubbed my chest because what had been a dull ache before were now sharp pains. Corin looked at me concerned, "Are you alright?" I rubbed my chest again,

"I think. My chest is just sore." Corin's eye's bugged out. He's the only one of my friends who knows about my heart troubles.

"Maybe you shouldn't go tonight?" He sounded disappointed, so I couldn't just say that no.

"No, you're really excited about the party, and so is Lucy. It won't be that bad. I'll find a place to sit down and do nothing all night." He looked at me warily, but started throwing clothes at me again.

When I was dressed to Corin's standards (which it's hard to dress in when you're shopping on the money the state gives you for clothes), we walked out and sat on the couch. I stumbled a little, but made it. Corin was looking at me again.

"I'm not so sure this party is such a good idea. You really don't look good." He whispered, because Polly was in the room. If she found out, I wouldn't have a choice on whether I went or not. I wasn't that far into an attack that I needed to take desperate measures. My chest hurt, yes, but my body wasn't numb and I could still breath normally. I wasn't worried yet,

"I'll be fine as long as I don't bust too many moves." Corin chuckled, but was still staring at me. It was common knowledge, to anyone who knows me that I don't dance.

We heard a throat being cleared behind us, and looked up to see Lucy.

She looked amazing. Her hair was curled and loose, and she was wearing this plain yellow top over a blue floral, short-sleeved shirt. I stood up shakily, although I wasn't sure if it was from my chest or from Lucy.

"You look really nice." I told her in a weak voice. She tilted her head curiously, like she was going to ask me if I was okay. Corin, god bless his soul, piped in before she could.

"I must agree." She turned to look at him, "I'm Corin Archenland, of the New York Archenlands." Lucy laughed and stuck out her hand,

"I'm Lucy Pevensie. I'm not famous enough to get a title." Corin laughed and kissed her hand, to which she blushed a little, "Well, lets get going, shall we?" He made a large obnoxious gesture toward the door and we all started heading that way. He stopped to drop a kiss on Polly's cheek, "I'll have them back by 11:30." Lucy giggled and I just rolled my eyes when Polly blushed.

* * *

I spotted Corin's new truck in the driveway, and immediately became green with envy. It was a black, 2010 Ford F-150. Brand new.

"Do you like her?" Corin asked with a stupid grin, "I got her for my sixteenth birthday two weeks ago, same day I got my license." He was full out smirking now and I wanted to smack him when he patted the hood of the truck.

"It's lovely." Lucy responded and I just opened the back door for her. I shut the door, my hands shaking, and walked over to the passenger seat and climbed in.

Corin pulled into the yard of the Taylor estate and I climbed out. I walked around to help Lucy out of the massive truck. My hands were still shaking, and I knew from experience it was only going to get worse.

We were about fifteen meters away from the house, when I spotted Aravis running full force at me. I wrapped my arm around Lucy's waist and she shivered. Maybe she should've brought a jacket.

"EDMUND! I didn't know you were coming!" She sounded surprised, but anyone who knew her could see through that. I wanted to tell her that I really didn't have a choice in the matter. That she knew I was coming, because she blackmailed my best friend into dragging me here. Instead, I settled on,

"Hello Aravis." She was dressed as she usually does. Sultry with a hint of high end. Even I have to admit, she looked hot.  
She took a step closer to me, grabbing my other arm and nuzzling my neck. I shot a death glare a Corin, who had the common sense to run. And run fast.

I pulled my arm loose from the vice grip Aravis had it trapped in, and pulled Lucy closer. My breathing was picking up and I knew this night was going to be a long one.

"Edmund, who's your friend?" Aravis asked me, glaring poison at Lucy.

"This is my date, Lucy." Lucy shivered again, and Aravis glared at her.

"Oh, I didn't know you were bringing a date." I internally sighed.

"Well, it it's not okay, we can leave. I'm sure we can find something to do." Lucy took a step closer to me when Aravis's glare got ten times nastier. I pulled her a little tighter and we stood in Mexican stand off for a few seconds, before Aravis shook her head and looked at me with her Colgate smile,

"Oh, of course not! Come in, I think the band was just getting ready to start another song." I rolled my eyes. Everyone knows I don't dance. I started leading Lucy inside, when Aravis shot Lucy a brilliant smile,

"So, Lucy, I love your top." Lucy frowned,

"Really?" Yeah Aravis, Really? I groaned, in disbelief that Lucy was falling for this.

"Yeah, I had one just like it when I was seven." Aravis flipped her hair and disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

I was having a lot of fun with Lucy. We were just sitting and talking. Not about important stuff, just little mundane things, like you would talk about on the first day of school. She did a lot of talking, and I did a lot of listening.

There was a commotion from the other side of the room and I looked to see Corin in a fight with two quarterbacks. I sighed, considered leaving him, before standing up and joining the fight. Corin and I came out victorious. I never found out what the fight was about because, when I turned to ask Corin his eyes widened and he motioned over to where Lucy and I were sitting. I was gasping for breath as I turned and saw Rabadash grabbing for her while she was backed into a corner. I jogged over and yelled,

"Oi," before punching him in the face. He was obviously drunk, because he fell down and didn't get up. I turned to Lucy, feeling ten times worse than before,

"Are you alright?" He didn't hurt you did he?" I was gasping for breath. Lucy shook her head and I took ahold of her arm,

"Let's get out of here, before he wakes up and kicks my ass."

I led her outside and we found a bench for me to rest on,

"So what was Corin's fight about?" I chuckled and it sounded pathetic. My breathing was still labored and my chest was on fire. Plus, my arm was going numb.

"Corin is really good at talking himself into situations. He's not so good at talking himself out." Lucy laughed, and then looked into my eyes. She must of noticed the lack of space between us. My eyes darted from her eyes to her lips and I started to lean it. Suddenly, I found myself on the ground, gasping for breath. Lucy dropped down next to me and I gasped out,

"Heart attack, get Corin, 911," And then everything was black.


	9. The Waiting Room

Lucy's POV

Corin and I burst into the sterile white waiting room. We went to the information desk, only to be informed that they had no information on Edmund yet. He was still in surgery. I asked to borrow the hospital phone, to call Polly and Diggory. It wasn't a call I was looking forward to. I dialed the number,

One ring

Two rings

Three rings,

"Hello?" Polly's voice sounded frantic, but I guess it is 12:30 and Edmund and I were an hour late for curfew.

"Aunt Polly, it's Lucy." I heard a sigh of relief,

"Oh Lucy, Thank God! Are you okay? Is Edmund okay?" I chocked back a sob, remembering Edmund's pale, lifeless face as they put him in the ambulence. "Love, is everything alright?"  
"Corin and I are at Cair Paravel General. Edmund had a heart attack." Polly gasped and I heard Diggory in the background, 'What happened?'

"We'll be right there. Tell Corin I said to stay with you." Then she hung up. I went back to Corin shaking. He put his arm around me,

"I called his sister Susan. She's coming tomorrow after her finals." I turned to look at him,

"You're not going to leave yet, are you?" He shook his head.

"Edmund's my best friend. I'm staying until they kick me out." His face was pale and his hand was shaking on my shoulder,

"I'm scared." I told him, almost inaudibly. He nodded,

"Me too."

* * *

Exactly nineteen minutes and twenty three seconds later (I knew this because the only thing to do in this hospital waiting room was watch the clock, and wait.) Diggory and Polly came flying through the sliding doors and over to us.

Polly still had her jean capris on from that day, but she must've taken her sweater off after we left, because it was buttoned half-hazardly all the way up. Her hair was sticking in all directions and there were tear tracks down her face.

Diggory didn't look much better. He was just wearing his undershirt and a pair of dirty jeans. His hair was crooked, like he had run his hands through it too many times.

"Where is he?" Polly asked desperately. I start shaking again, because we haven't had any news on Edmund. Seeing I wasn't in much of a state to answer, Corin piped in,

"We haven't heard. Still in surgery, I guess." Polly slumped into the chair beside Corin, her face in her hands,

"I'm gonna go check the nurses station and see if they have anything new on him." Diggory walked away and Corin wrapped his arms around Polly, and she was sobbing into his shoulder. We all looked up, however, when we heard Diggory roar,

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M NOT HIS LEGAL GUARDIAN?" His voice seemed to echo off of the silence of the white room. We all stared, because Diggory was normally a very calm man. His footsteps were thunderous as he stomped back over to us, "We don't have legal rights to Edmund." Polly shot up,

"What!" I looked between the two of them,

"He's not listed in their files as ours. His legal guardian is still Saint Elizabeth Orphanage for Boys. We don't have the rights to be informed on his condition, because of something in his file." Diggory was fuming and I looked at Corin, who was in turn staring at me.

"Well, how do we find out about him?" Polly was in tears again, and Diggory took her in his arms.

"We need Linda to confirm that he's our foster child. Until then, only representatives from the orphanage and his blood family can receive information."

"I called his sister, Susan. She said she'd be here tomorrow afternoon, after her final exams." Polly sank down into the plastic chair and sobbed. Diggory pulled out his cell phone,

"I'll call Linda right now." Diggory went to the other side of the waiting room and dialed his phone. Ten minutes later, he came back growling.

"Linda can't be here until morning. We have to wait until then." Diggory sat down in a chair beside me and we did just that. Waited.

* * *

I didn't realize I had dozed off until Diggory jumped up. I looked around groggily, and saw that Linda had just walked in. She ran over to the small group,

"I'm so sorry, I really dropped the ball on this one. I solved the problem in the state system last night; I accept full responsibility for this. I'll give you the explanation for the security measures when we find out about Edmund." Linda sprinted over to the nurse's station, with Polly and Diggory on her heals. They all started talking and Polly gave a tiny sob, but with a giant smile on her face.

I turned and looked at Corin who, as promised, had stayed because they hadn't kicked him out yet.

"I think he's going to be okay." I laughed and he laughed with me.

Linda, Polly, and Diggory walked back over to us and they all had grins on their faces.

"How is he? Is he going to be okay?" I had to hear them say it,  
"He's going to be fine. He's on a lot of pain meds, so he's asleep right now. But they repaired his heart valve, and he's going to be fine." I laughed, and Corin picked me up and spun me around, grinning and proclaiming to anyone who would listen,

"He's going to be okay!" I laughed again and Corin put me down. Diggory looked at Linda,

"Why did we have to wait? Why couldn't they tell us that last night?" We all stared at Linda and she motioned for us to sit down.

"Well, Edmund was a child abuse victim, by his step-father after his mother died." Corin and I gasped, but the Kirkes just nodded. They already knew this, "Well, the last time he was in the hospital, some friends of his step-father's came in and claimed to be family. They were angry at Edmund for getting Andrew sent to jail." Diggory growled.

"What does this have to do with not being able to see my

son?" Linda held up her petite hand,

"I'm getting there." Diggory was silent, but not happy about it, "Well, they started to mess with Edmund's medication and his stabilizers. If he hadn't reached the call nurse button, he would've died of over dose." Polly and I both gasped, and Linda just nodded, "After that, the state and I got together and made up a security plan for Edmund when he was in the hospital. It's that only his legal guardian, blood family, or his social worker could see him. They had to provide photographic proof and identification." Linda looked down, "Some of the nuns at the orphanage said not to bother changing his guardianship. They didn't think you would keep him. Eventually, I forgot that I hadn't changed his guardian, and he remained in the orphanage's care." Polly and Diggory both stared at Linda, "I can't apologize enough. I can't even start to imagine what you've been through." Polly stood up and hugged Linda. She seemed surprised, but pleased,

"You brought us Edmund. You could come and kill all of our horses and we'd have to forgive you." Polly said soothingly, before Linda started sobbing.

"Did I ever tell you I wanted Edmund?" We all stared at her, "He was the only child I ever considered adopting. I dedicated everything I had to finding a family that would love him, because the state wouldn't let me have him. I'm not allowed to be emotionally involved with a case." She let out another sob, "Take care of my baby." She looked up with crystalline tears in her eyes. Diggory went over and held Linda as well,

"We'll try." He whispered in her ear.

* * *

It was around noon when a beautiful girl flew through the sliding door. She was wearing what looked like a school uniform, but a very rumpled one, like she had been in the car for hours. Her brown hair flew behind her, and she looked around the waiting room. It was just Linda, Corin, and I in the waiting room and she seemed to be looking for something. Spotting us, she darted over and Linda stood up,

"Susan,"

"Hi Linda, How is he?" Linda smiled weakly,

"He's in recovery. Pretty doped up right now, but he's going to be fine." The girl let out a sigh and turned to look at Corin and I,

"You must be Corin." Corin smiled and nodded, "It's nice to finally meet you face to face." He nodded. She looked at me,

"I'm sorry, I don't know you." It didn't sound snotty or stuck up, just genuinely confused. I held out my hand for her to shake, because I was in a much better mood now then I was about one o'clock this morning,

"I'm Lucy Pevensie."

"Susan Turner, previously Taylor, Edmund's sister."

"If you're Edmund's sister, wouldn't your last name be Miller?" Susan frowned,

"Well, Edmund is only my half-brother. We don't really know who Edmund's dad is. My dad wouldn't let him take his last name, so he has my mother's maiden name." Corin and I both gaped at her. This was new information to the both of us.

"So when can I see him?"

"Well, the Kirkes are in there now, I guess a little later." Corin told her. Susan's eyes narrowed.

"Who are the Kirkes?"

"Edmund's foster parents, soon to be adopted parents." Susan hummed and sank down next to me.

"I called Peter. He said he'd try and get off base to come see him." Corin cringed, obviously knowing about the distain shared between the two brothers. I looked at my feet, and the air almost immediately became awkward. We sat in silence until Linda's cell phone rang. She stood up to answer it, and Polly and Diggory came out into the waiting room. Corin and I both stood up, and Susan followed suit.

"How is he?" Corin asked, "He's not hurting is he?" Polly gave a laugh, with tears in her eyes,

"No, he's on lethal amounts of pain killers. He isn't hurting at all." Diggory smiled,

"He was awake for a little while, but didn't really recognize a lot."

"When can I see him?" Susan asked, frantic again. Polly looked at her suspiciously,

"Who are you?" She asked with a tiny glare. I think Linda's story of Edmund's last time in the hospital scared her more than we realized.

"Oh, sorry. I'm Susan, Edmund's sister." A look of recognition dawned on her face, and Polly smiled at Susan,

"I'm sorry, We just got some new information that…" Susan held up her hand, and Polly stopped talking.

"I understand. Can I go see him soon?" Polly nodded,

"He's asleep now, but you can go see him if you want." Susan flashed a dazzling smile, "Room 103." The sentence wasn't out of her mouth before she was down the hall like a bullet out of a gun. _I hope Edmund gets better!_

_A/n: Wow, that was a little angsty! The next few chapters won't have a lot of Edmund/Lucy. It will be a lot of family drama!_


	10. Peter and Susan

Susan's POV

I darted down the hallway, nearly knocking down nurses on my way. I spotted a doctor coming out of room 103 and my heart froze. I darted into the room and saw Edmund, lying on hospital bed, looking worse than the last time he was in the hospital.

Not only did he have the tubes stuck in him, he was also attached to a breathing machine and two heart monitors. I walked closer to him and grabbed his slim hand. It had been so much pudgier last time I saw him. I looked at where his legs sat on the bed and realized he was probably taller than me by now. I looked at his face, wanting him to open his eyes. I needed to see them to confirm that he's my Edmund.

I squeezed his hand and he groaned, his eyes fluttering open. He blearily looked at me, blinking several times.

"Susan?" He asked, taking off the breathing mask. I stared into his chocolate brown eyes, seeing the same haunted look that had been in there since he was six and found out what mom meant when she endearingly called him 'Mommy's Little Mistake.'

"Yeah, it's me Ed." I brushed a lock of his dark brown hair out of his face. It was the only trait we shared. He and Peter had nothing in common, but we have this.

"What are doing here? I thought you said you had exams this week." I smiled at him. That's so typical Edmund.

"I finished about an hour ago. That's when I drove here." He blinked again.

"Why?" I was so shocked I dropped his hand. He was gasping for breath, and he held the mask up to his face to inhale the pure oxygen, so he could catch his breath.

"What do you mean why? Why wouldn't I come see my brother?" He shrugged, still breathing in. Dropping the facemask, he responded,

"You didn't come to my birthday party." I stared at him. I thought we understood each other on that. I had really wanted to come to the party that his new parents were throwing for him, to make up for all the birthday parties he'd missed, but I had exams and Edmund said he understood and forgave me. Was he really that hurt by my rejection? He had the facemask up again, breathing deep.

"Ed, I thought you understood why I couldn't come."

"Yeah, the after party for exams." I widened my eyes. Was that really why I missed his party, "So why are you here now? I figured there'd be another party." I brushed another piece of hair away from his eyes, but couldn't look him in the eyes.

"I didn't want you to be alone." He groaned and pressed a button next to him. I heard a small beep and looked around for the source. He chuckled weakly,

"Pain meds. I'd be screaming right now without them." I laughed, and he smiled at me, "Su, I'm not alone. Diggory and Polly are here, and Lucy and Corin probably as well." He got a glazed look in his eyes, that I imagine was from the pain medication,

"I called Peter." His eyes hardened and he glared at me,

"You what?"

"I called Peter. He said he'd try and get off base to come see you." Edmund didn't say anything; he just snapped his breathing mask back on with a groan, leaning back into the sterile white pillows. Then he did something he'd never done before. He turned on his side, with his back to me. Edmund, even when we were little and I forced him into playing prince and princess, has never turned his back to me. I sat stunned for a few seconds, before realizing he probably wanted me to leave. I stood up with tears in my eyes, when I heard him faintly call,

"I doubt Peter will be able to make it." His body shook, like he was sobbing, but I wasn't about to call him out on it. I left the room and slumped down the wall, burying my face in my arms.

Peter's POV

I had just gotten off the phone with Susan. Edmund was in the hospital, another heart attack. She wanted me to come visit him, but I couldn't. I was too ashamed.

How could I say that to him? I still remember the look in his eyes when I told him he deserved to be a ward of the state in critical condition, when I blamed it all on him. He was heartbroken. I remember the look he had given me at Susan's graduation. He hates me. And to think, I'm supposed to be Superman.

"Pevensie!" I heard my sergeant yell from down the hall. I snapped into attention,

"Sir, Yes, Sir."

"At ease. Who was the phone call from? A girl back home?" My sergeant and I got along. He and I had been together since basic and he had worked with my dad for a while.

"No sir. Susan, sir." He chuckled,

"What did little Suzie want?" I frowned when I remembered exactly what it was Susan wanted,

"Edmund's in the hospital sir." Sergeant Glenstorm shook his head,

"Another heart attack?" I forgot who I was talking to for a moment and slumped my shoulders, looking at the floor,

"Yes sir." It was all I could say. Sergeant sighed,

"I would've done something had I known what Andrew was doing to that boy. He didn't deserve that." I flinched. That struck pretty close to home. Not only because I had told Edmund he did deserve it, but also because I knew what was going on and didn't do anything to stop it. I just stood by and held Susan in safety and watched as Edmund was beaten. Susan screamed. Susan wanted to do something. I wouldn't let her. I kept her safe, but forgot Edmund. The only response I could get out was a quiet,

"No sir." The sergeant studied me for a few minutes. I had lost all of my former stance, and was slouching in a most unmilitary way, staring intently at my feet.

"Why don't you take a week and go visit him. I bet he'd be glad to see you."

"Are you sure sir?" I asked, hoping he wasn't sure and that he would order me on base,

"Yes, I am." He told me with a determined nod of his head, "The boy worships you and I bet he needs his hero!" With another nod, he started to walk down the hall. Once he had slammed the door behind him I sunk to the ground, my head in my arms, because Edmund didn't worship me and he certainly, after nine years alone, didn't need me. _I wonder if Superman ever had a little brother?_

_A/n: Well, I go back to school tomorrow so updates might not be as regular. Reviews are appreciated! I thank all of my loveable reviewers. Special thanks to Lady Bolen and VampyKaee! You guys are awesome!_


	11. It all comes to light

Edmund's pov

I was lying in my hospital bed, deep breathing. The face mask was rubbing a patch on my face raw, but I'd rather have that than a lack of oxygen. Susan's visit confirmed it. My family is so deformed.

I'm the bastard brother. Peter and I have been in an unspoken war for three years, which Susan doesn't know about. To the best of her knowledge, Peter doesn't write me because he never knows where I'm living. I'm in foster care and have been through six failed adoptions. Oh, and I have a critical heart condition that, if it gets worse, will kill me. Geez, sounds like one hell of a soap opera.

The door opened and I saw Lucy and Corin look at me. I lifted up a greatly tubed arm, and waved them over. They both walked over slowly, before Lucy flung her arms around my neck. I stiffened. I wasn't in pain. I was too doped up for anything to hurt me. I just hadn't been hugged by anyone but Susan and Polly since I was six. Let's face it, Nuns aren't very affectionate. Corin had already flung himself into a chair and was looking at me somberly.

"Why did you let me talk you into that party?" He was staring at me and I motioned toward the white board Polly and Diggory had brought me earlier so I could write back and forth to people, instead of taking my mask off. He handed it to me and I rolled my eyes and motioned to the marker. Corin gave a weak chuckle and handed me the red marker. I started scribbling on the board:

_Since when have you been able to talk me into anything? _

"I should've told Polly your chest hurt."

_Corin, I'm fine._

"You could've died."

_But I didn't._

"But you could've!" He was close to frantic and it was starting to bother my head. I really don't know how exactly to calm down a frantic Corin, so I figured it was best to solve this now.

_Fine! It's all __your__ fault I have a heart condition that is assumed genetic and had a heart attack at Aravis's party. It's all __your__ fault that__ I__ decided to be an idiot and not listen to you when you were telling me to stay home. Yes Corin, this is all __your __fault!_

I glared at him and he gave a wet laugh. Lucy had sat down on the edge of my bed and was smoothing my sheets. She smiled at me, and my eyes flashed to her lips, remembering what almost happened at the party.

"So how are you feeling?" She asked. I shrugged my shoulders.

_Pretty good, actually._

"You just had a stage four heart attack. Even the doctors were amazed you lived." I smirked:  
_Have you ever been on Morphine, Valium, and PCA all at the same time?_

She shook her head and I grinned:

_Then you don't understand._

Corin burst up laughing and Lucy giggled and blushed. I struggled to sit up, trying not to knock out any tubes.

_So did you guys meet Susan?_

They both frowned and looked at the other before looking back at me. I erased the board really quick:

_I know she invited Peter. _

"You're not mad?" Corin asked me, tilting his head:

_A little, but nothing I can do now is there._

They both smiled at me, before there was a knock at the door. I nodded my head toward the door, and Corin yelled,

"Come in!" In walked the last person I expected to see.

Peter.

Susan's Pov

I sat in the waiting room, thinking of all the other times I was supposed to go visit Edmund, and didn't. There were too many. There were enough that my brother had every right to begin to doubt my affection for him. How could I not go to his birthday party? Even more, how could I expect him to say anything less than 'it's fine, I understand.' That's so Edmund.

What I don't get is why he wouldn't expect Peter to come? Is something going on between the two of them that I don't know about? I dropped my head into my hands. My university uniform was wrinkled beyond repair, my hair was mussed, and I'm sure I smelled a little different, but none of this was bothering me because I had hurt my little brother. Even after I promised I wouldn't.

I was so wrapped up in guilt, I didn't hear the sliding doors open, or the blonde man with camo pants and an army shirt on walk over.

"Susan?" I jumped up and into his arms,

"Peter!" I just cried into his shoulder. He rubbed my back, making comforting sounds in my ear. It was several minutes before he could calm me down enough to talk.

"Su, what's wrong?"

"I'm a terrible sister." I buried my head into his chest, smelling the scent that is so uniquely Peter. It smelled like gun cleaner and shoe shine. He smoothed my hair.

"You can't be any worse than me." I untucked my head and looked at him.

"What do you mean? Does this have something to do with why Edmund didn't think you would come?" He nodded slowly and motioned for us to sit down in the plastic chairs.  
"You remember last time Edmund was in the hospital?" I nodded, "Well, before I left to go back to base, I sort of told him a few things." My eyes narrowed.

"What kind of things?"

"I told him he deserved to be in the hospital. That everything that happened was his fault." I gasped.

"You didn't!" He nodded. "Peter!"

"I don't know why I did, but we haven't talked since." I glared at him. He just looked at his ridiculously shiny boots.

"Go talk to him." He looked at me and opened his mouth "Room 103 now." And in a truly heroic and magnificent way, he scurried down the hall toward Edmunds room.

_Poor Edmund._

Peter's POV

The flight from Fort Bliss in El Paso to Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn was around three hours. The cab ride from Brooklyn, New York to Felimath, New York was even longer, and with a sweaty cab driver in the front seat.

Upon arrival, I saw Susan in tears, her head in her hands. I walked over behind her.

"Susan?" She jumped up and I was taken back when she flung herself into my arms, exclaiming my name. She burst into tears and I rubbed her back, trying to be comforting. Once she calmed down a little I asked her, "Su, what's wrong?"

"I'm a terrible sister!" She burrowed tighter into my chest and inhaled deeply. My blood froze,

"You can't be any worse than me." She untucked her head and looked up at me.

"What do you mean? Does this have something to do with why Edmund didn't think you would come?" I motioned for her to sit beside me on the plastic chairs.

"You remember last time Edmund was in the hospital?" She nodded suspiciously, "Well, before I left to go back to base, I sort of told him a few things." Her eyes narrowed even more,

"What kind of things?"

"I told him he deserved to be in the hospital. That everything that happened was his fault." Susan gasped.

"You didn't!" I nodded in shame. I thought Edmund would've told her, because where I was his Superman, she was his therapist. "Peter!"

"I don't know why I did, but we haven't talked since." If I was completely honest with myself, I knew exactly why.

"Go talk to him." I glanced at her and opened my mouth to reply, but she cut me off, "Room 103 now." And because a good soldier knows when to pick his battles, I started down the hall of patient rooms.

101, 102, 103

I saw a clipboard outside the door that said in scrawly cursive:

Edmund Miller, Security plan in place.

I knocked on the door and heard a voice that I'm sure wasn't Edmund yell, "Come in."

I opened the door slowly, like a prisoner on death row, and saw him. He was in a bed, with a breathing face mask on.

Edmund.

**A/n: Woot Woot! And now I must study! Please everyone leave a review. It helps me fight homesickness!**


	12. Where it all Began

Edmund's POV

We just stared at each other. The silence was so thick you couldn't cut it with a steak knife. There wasn't any movement until I picked up my marker and slowly wrote on my board:

_Lucy, Corin, This is my brother Peter._ I held it up to show them and they both flicked their eyes between the two of us, too stunned to say anything: _Maybe you two should go._

Corin nodded and guided Lucy out the door, but I wasn't paying much attention. I was staring straight at my brother. He was dressed in army pants and a t-shirt and his blonde hair was mussed up, as if he had been running his hands through it.

"Hey Ed, what's up?" He sounded nervous and I picked up my marker:

_I just had a heart attack, I'm on more pain killers than most pharmacies, I can't breathe on my own, and I'm eating through a tube. _

I shot him a pointed look and he looked at his feet. He was standing awkwardly, but wouldn't look up at me, so I banged my marker on the board. When he looked up, I motioned toward the chair he was standing by. He sat down and looked at me:  
_If you're here to tell me about more things I don't deserve, I think you should leave before Diggory gets here._

"Who's Diggory?"

_My dad. Peter, why are you here?_

"To apologize." I gave him a look. It wasn't an angry look, but it wasn't joyous either (which is strange because I'm on A LOT of pain pills. I should be very happy!)

_For what?_

"Everything. Saying you deserved to be in the hospital, that you deserved to be in foster care, for not sticking up for you when Andrew was beating you, all of it." I looked at him warily. I didn't know whether I should believe him or not.

_Why now?_

"Because I need to tell you why." I nodded with an impassive look on my face.

"When I saw you in the hospital bed last time, before you woke up, all I could think was that my little brother was dead and I didn't stop it. I didn't have enough time with you. I didn't protect you. I blamed myself." He stopped, like he was waiting for me to say (write) something, but my marker remained silent. "I promised mom before she died that I would protect you and Susan, and all the doctors were saying was that it was a miracle you lived, and if you had one at a young age you were going to have more, and they were going to worse." He had tears rolling down his face, so I reached out my hand and placed it on his. I gave him a look that said I wanted him to keep going. "You were so happy to see Susan and me, and it broke my heart." He was full out sobbing now, "I wanted you to hate me. I didn't want you to miss me anymore. I didn't want you to be all alone in foster care, thinking you needed me. Because I went to war at eighteen, you've been at war since you were six." I removed my hand and pulled off my face mask, because some things had to be said out loud.

"I love you Peter." He looked up at me, shocked to hear my raspy voice. "You were my dad when I was little. You were my hero. I needed to know you were in my corner during every failed adoption, every orphanage, every hospital checkup. I wanted you there when I was being stalked last year. I love you and I need you." I pulled the face mask up and did some deep breathing. I grabbed his hand and held it over my face, keeping the mask in place, while I reach under my pillow for the wrinkled, unframed picture of Peter and I, right before my mom died. He was teaching me how to ride a bike. I handed it to him and pulled the mask down.

"I need you back in my corner." He just held the picture for a while, before letting out a choked sob and throwing his arms around me and crying into my shoulder, muttering apologies. I put my mask back on and breathed deeply. I stroked his hair for several minutes, until he looked up at me.

"I was always there."

Peter's POV

Edmund and I just looked at each other, and the silence was tangible. I wanted to reach out and touch him, just to make sure he was really there. He picked up a red marker and scribbled something on a white board, before showing it to the other two people in the room. Whatever was on it must've had something to do with me, because they started darting their eyes between us. Edmund scribbled something else, and the boy nodded, guiding the girl out the door. Edmund was staring straight at me, and I realized I was the one who had to make the first move.

"Hey Ed, what's up?" My heart was beating a million miles a second, and got faster when he picked up his marker to write on the board:

_I just had a heart attack, I'm on more pain killers than most pharmacies, I can't breathe on my own, and I'm eating through a tube. _

That was a stupid question, and I looked at my feet in embarrassment. I didn't look up until I heard the marker banging on the white board. Edmund motioned for me to sit down in the plastic chair, so I did. I stared at him, taking in how much he had grown in two years:  
_If you're here to tell me about more things I don't deserve, I think you should leave before Diggory gets here._

"Who's Diggory?"

_My dad. Peter, why are you here?_

"To apologize." The look he gave me was indescribable. He wasn't mad, but he wasn't pleased either. He picked up his marker and started scribbling again:

_For what?_

My blood froze. He really didn't know.

"Everything. Saying you deserved to be in the hospital, that you deserved to be in foster care, for not sticking up for you when Andrew was beating you, all of it." He looked at me like he didn't believe me, or was deciding whether to believe me.

_Why now?_

"Because I need to tell you why." He nodded, looking impassive. He clearly wasn't going to make this easy.

_*Flashback*_

_I walked into the hospital room, spotting Edmund on the bed. He was connected to a few machines by tubes in his arms. He was pale, practically blending in with the sheets, and his breathing was labored. We were alone in the room, so I went and sat in one of the plastic chairs, thinking about my promise to mom to keep Edmund and Susan safe. Edmund was going to die. You can't be that pale and still, and not be dead._

_Why didn't I stop this? Why wasn't I there, holding him when this happened? Why is he always alone?_

I paused, expecting him to have something to throw in, but he didn't write anything so I kept going.

_*Flashback*_

_The doctor, in his sterile white lab coat, walked in and checked some of the machines._

"_Oh, Hello, and who are you?" He was short and squat, standing at maybe five foot._

"_I'm Peter Taylor, Edmund's brother." The doctor nodded with a small smile._

"_I'm Doctor Cornelius. You have quite the little brother here."  
"What do you mean?" I looked at him suspiciously._

"_Not many thirteen-year-olds would live through a stage four heart attack." I nearly choked. Stage four! The orphanage just said he had an attack. The doctor obviously had more to say because he continued,_

"_Of course, now that he's had one, it's almost a guarantee he'll have more. And most likely, they'll get worse." I felt a piece of me die. _

I was crying now, and Edmund placed his pale hand on mine. I looked into his face, and the look he gave me said to keep going.

*Flashback*

_Susan and I were sitting in plastic chairs, watching our brother. I didn't care that he was still asleep. All I cared about was that they let me back in the room. Suddenly he let out a groan._

"_I think he's waking up." Susan's voice cracked, while my heart finally started beating again._

"_It's about time!" Edmund's eyes fluttered and he groaned. It was several seconds before he turned his head to look at us. When he did, his heart rate spiked. Susan and I panicked, watching him three nurses run in to revive him. They grumbled back out when they realized he was fine. Susan jumped up and hugged him._

"_Oh, Eddie you're okay!" Edmund frowned, and I smiled a little. He hated being called Eddie._

"_Don't call me Eddie." Susan just laughed and kept hugging him. I stood up and clapped his shoulder._

"_How are you feelin' Ed?" He stared blankly at me and I couldn't tell what he was thinking._

"_Like I just had a heart attack, how about you," I laughed because that was a pretty stupid question. I pulled him sideways to my chest until he exclaimed, "Ow, Pete, watch the uniform!" Susan crawled into bed beside him and snuggled his chest, placing her head right over his heart._

"_When Linda called, I made mom and dad drive me all the way here. I was so worried." She was rubbing circles on his stomach, and I just wanted to hold him, to make sure nothing hurt him anymore, "Then I got here to the waiting room and Peter was already there." Susan sighed deeply. We'd been through a lot in the last twenty-four hours. "When the nun," It was like she was trying to remember the name of the nun who had given us every bit of information we now had._

"_Sister Mary Catherine," Edmund asked, and she snapped her fingers,_

"_Yes. When she told us you were in critical condition…" She buried deeper into Edmund, like she was trying to go in and fix his heart alone._

"_Susan, I'm fine. They'll let me out soon, and then I'll go back to the orphanage, and everything will be back to normal." He was rubbing circles on her back, and I froze from where I was reaching out to rub his back. Living in an orphanage was normal for him? Things won't be normal again until we're all together again. And Susan had called her new parents mom and dad, was she forgetting the people who raised us?_

"_You're thirteen! Thirteen year olds don't have stage four heart attacks!" She was close to hysterical, sobbing into Edmund's chest. He shot me a pleading look, begging me to do something, but I was too stunned to do anything other than chuckle weakly. There was a beeping, and my head shot up to look at him. Susan was examining him as well as she could, without lifting up his shirt, "What happened? Are you alright? Do you need something?" He held up the IV for his pain meds, and I bit back a laugh. She sighed in relief, "I thought you were hurt!" Edmund groaned._

"_I'm going to be in twenty minutes!" Susan just stared at him, while I laughed._

"_Su, those are his pain meds." A look of understanding dawned on her face, and she giggled as well. _

_Edmund seemed so happy the whole time we were with him. It broke my heart when the nun told us that she hadn't seen him this joyous since I last went to visit him. Susan had left and I was in the room with him. I had to get back to base soon, so I kissed Edmund's head and told him to get well. A look of utter sadness crossed his face and I turned to walk out, my heart heavy. Before leaving I told him something I would regret forever._

"_You deserve this you know." He just stared at me. He didn't know what I was talking about, and if I was honest with myself, either did I._

"_Deserve what?"_

"_This. The orphanage, the hospital, all of it. If you hadn't have told that lady that Andrew hit you, we would still be together. I could protect all of you. Susan didn't deserve to be put in foster care, I didn't deserve to be taken away from my father, you deserve it." He was on the verge of tears, but I knew I had to make him hate me. He had to be happy all the time, not just when I was there. I shot him one last empty glare and stalked out the door. The death of Superman. _

I looked down at my lap, not able to look him in the eye. I couldn't look at the utter hatred that I'm sure was there. However my head shot up when I heard his raspy voice, "I love you Peter. You were my dad when I was little. You were my hero. I needed to know you were in my corner during every failed adoption, every orphanage, every hospital checkup. I wanted you there when I was being stalked last year. I love you and I need you." He held the face mask up to his face for a few more minutes, breathing deeply. He grabbed my hand and pulled it up to hold his mask in place. He turned slightly to reach under his pillow, pulling out a wrinkled old photo. He took the mask from me and gave me the photo. I just stared at it. I didn't even look up when I heard his raspy voice, "I need you back in my corner." I just held the picture. I remember that day.

_*Flashback*_

_I walked into the garage to see Edmund taking his training wheels off. _

"_What are you up to Eddie?" He looked up at me._

"_I'm not riding with training wheels anymore. Eustace Scrubb down the street got rid of his last week, so I don't need mine._

"_Eddie, you don't know how to ride a bike without training wheels."_

"_You're going to teach me. I asked Andrew and he said I wasn't his kid so he wasn't going to teach me anything." He looked at me with determination and I guess I had to. He wasn't really giving me a choice. We spent all day learning and by the end of the day he was riding without training wheels, slightly wobbly, but I didn't need to hold onto him anymore._

I let out a choked sob and threw my arms around his neck, crying into his shoulder, apologizing like I'd never get the chance. Several minutes later I looked up at him.

"I was always there."

A/N: FUN FAMILY FLUFF! Peter doesn't seem like such a bad guy anymore does he? Reviews=Love


	13. Released

A/N: Okay, this is even short for me! I just couldn't see adding any more, plus i was writing at 10:30 and have an early class! I hope i can get the next one up soon!

Edmund's POV

As always, the hospital was boring and mundane. I had been here for two weeks and was ready to have another heart attack just to mix things up a little. I was so happy, close to ecstatic, when the doctors told me that I would be allowed to leave a week early, as long as I still wear the heart monitor at all times and the breathing mask at night, don't participate in anything too exhausting, and eat heart healthy. I can do that; just get me out of here!

I had all of my bags packed up and was wearing a loose tee shirt and jeans. It was loose because the heart monitor wires had to fit under it, so I didn't have to wear a hospital gown all the time. Polly and Lucy were in my (former) room, and Polly was fussing over me.

"Edmund, will you just sit down." I gave an exasperated sigh, but really wasn't mad at her. It was nice to have people care about you.

"I'm perfectly capable of walking. Just because they made me lay down for two weeks straight, doesn't mean I forgot how." Lucy let out a giggle, which she covered up with a sneeze when Polly glared at her.

"You just had a stage four heart attack and-"She started, but I cut her off.

"I'll eat the nasty food, I'll wear the heart monitor and the breathing mask, I'll lounge around the house, and I'll take the stupid pills, but I refuse to be escorted off the property in a wheelchair like an invalid." Lucy giggled again, and I shot Polly my best please look. She sighed.

"Times when you wish you had a spatula." I grinned at her and walked out, pulling my heart monitor, Bleep, behind me. We were standing in front of the elevator, waiting to go down three floors to the parking lot, when I heard my name from behind. I whipped around and saw one of the candy stripers, who had always helped me get out of bed, Lizzie, running toward me. I smiled at her.

"What's up?" She smirked.

"Well, I don't have to listen to you complain anymore, do I?" I laughed, and felt Lucy stiffen beside me. It was true; I hadn't been an easy patient. In fact, most of the other stripers had refused to even come in my room after Peter and Susan left, because I was so moody. I think I actually threw my pillow at one of them.

"Yes, now you're back to cleaning bed pans with the other stripers. Aren't you happy I'm leaving?" She looked at her feet.

"I wouldn't say that."

"Lucy, can you make sure he makes it to the lobby? I'm going to make sure Diggory finds us." Lucy nodded, but her face was tightened into a scowl. I turned back to Lizzie.

"So, are you all going to miss me?" She smiled up at me.

"Yeah I am," She whispered, before correcting herself, "I mean, WE will." She blushed, and Lucy's hands tightened into fists.

"I'll miss you too." She looked up at me with a smile, before pulling a sharpie marker out of her hair. She took my hand and wrote a phone number on my hand.

"This is my cell number. Call me sometime, and we'll hang out." I smiled at her, and Lucy glared at the ground.

"Yeah, sounds great." Just then the elevator arrived, and Lucy and I boarded. I sent Lizzie another smile as she waved through the doors.

Lucy's POV

Edmund was coming home today. He was coming home a full week early. I would bet money the doctors were just sick of dealing with him. We were standing in his hospital room, getting ready to leave. Edmund was being difficult though. Polly felt that he should use a wheelchair to get to the car. Edmund thought differently. Although, I was willing to take Edmund's side, just on how hot he looked today.

He was wearing the same outfit he had worn to the party two weeks ago, but it fit much looser, due to all the weight he had lost while he was in the hospital. His hair was mussed just right and his eyes were bright. They had been ever since he made up with his brother.

"Edmund, will you just sit down." He sighed, and I couldn't help but wonder who would win this battle of wills.

"I'm perfectly capable of walking. Just because they made me lay down for two weeks straight, doesn't mean I forgot how." I giggled, but pretended to sneeze when Polly shot me a look.

"You just had a stage four heart attack and-"She started, but Edmund stopped her before she could continue.

"I'll eat the nasty food, I'll wear the heart monitor and the breathing mask, I'll lounge around the house, and I'll take the stupid pills, but I refuse to be escorted off the property in a wheelchair like an invalid." Another giggle slipped out and Edmund sent Polly a pleading look. She sighed, relenting.

"Times when you wish you had a spatula." Edmund shot her a cheeky grin, and pulled his heart monitor out the door. We went and stood in front of the elevator, until we heard Edmund's name. Edmund turned around and smiled at the pretty girl, around our age, dressed in a pink and white candy striper uniform. I couldn't stop the pain of jealousy that shot through me.

"What's up?" Edmund asked her, which she responded with a smirk.

"Well, I don't have to listen to you complain anymore, do I?" Edmund laughed and I stiffened. Why couldn't I make him laugh like that?

"Yes, now you're back to cleaning bed pans with the other stripers. Aren't you happy I'm leaving?" _Well, I'm happy you're leaving, but that's just me. _The girl looked at her feet sadly.

"I wouldn't say that." Polly had obviously noticed that the conversation wasn't ending quickly enough for her.

"Lucy, can you make sure he makes it to the lobby? I'm going to make sure Diggory finds us." I nodded, but was scowling at Polly leaving Edmund to talk to the new pretty girl. Another pain of jealously shot through my body like lightning. Edmund turned back to the new girl.

"So, are you all going to miss me?" She smiled shyly at him.

"Yeah I will," She whispered, before correcting herself, "I mean, WE will." She blushed, and I clenched my fists, trying not to deck her in the face.

"I'll miss you too." I felt a little bit of my heart break. She looked up with a dazzling smile, before pulling a sharpie marker out of her hair. She grabbed Edmund's hand and wrote her phone number down.

"This is my cell number. Call me sometime, and we'll hang out." Edmund smiled, and I glared at my feet, fighting back tears.

"Yeah, sounds great." I almost lost the battle when the elevator arrived with a ding. _Saved by the bell!_ Edmund waved at her as the doors closed and I just looked at my feet.


	14. Loose Wires and Soggy Food

Edmund's POV

Diggory helped me drag the heart monitor up the stairs of the porch and into the living room. I flopped on the couch, careful not to knock any wires loose.

"Do you need anything Love?" Polly called from her usual spot in the kitchen. I rolled my eyes and yelled back.

"My dignity would be nice." I heard Lucy laugh, but turn it into a coughing fit, so I can only imagine what Polly's face looked like.

"Give the woman a break." Diggory said with a chuckle and a shove of my shoulder. "She's never loved anyone like she loves you. The last two weeks have been hard on her." I looked at my lap, ashamed.

"I've never been loved like that." Diggory looked at me sideways, and I met his eyes, "I don't think my mom even loved me as much as Polly does." Diggory's breath hitched, and I looked down. "I'm still learning." Diggory didn't say anything, just messed with the heart machine some more. Before he walked out the door, he turned around and looked me in the eyes.

"I'm glad I don't have to watch the news alone anymore."

A few minutes later, Lucy came and joined me on the couch. I scooted up so she would have more room to sit. The heart machine was beeping, but I barely noticed it at this point. Lucy, however, kept glancing at the steady pulse. Either she was watching to make sure it didn't change, or was very aware of the beeping and it was annoying her.

"It's not going to stop beeping." She looked at me with tears in her eyes. Then I remembered, vaguely mind you, that she was there when I had the attack. She saw everything. "I'm going to be okay you know." When I told her this, there was a hint of humor, mixed with pleading for her not to dwell on it.

"You almost died." She whispered, and I groaned because I already had this conversation with Corin.

"But I didn't." She suddenly looked angry.

"YOU DIDN'T SEE YOURSELF! YOU WERE SO PALE AND STILL AND YOU WEREN'T BREATHING." She suddenly stopped yelling, breaking down into desperate sobs. I took her in my arms, rubbing circles on her back, whispering comforting things to her. She sat up and stared at me. "I thought you died." She told me this, before throwing her arms around my neck, jarring one of the wires, causing the machine to beep. She shot her head up just as DIggory and Polly ran into the room. I sighed deeply.

"One of the wires got loose." Polly sighed in relief, while Diggory looked up to the sky, like he was thanking someone. Polly grabbed the tape that was in the basket on the monitor and motioned for me to take off my shirt so she could tape it back on. I untangled myself from Lucy, and pulled the tee shirt over my head. I figured she would look away, since I'm all skin and bones now. Not exactly much to look at. Polly took the tape and the red wire, grabbed my shoulder to pull me closer, and taped the wire back on. She pushed my shoulder a little.

"Be more careful." I laughed, because I knew she was too relieved to be mad at me.

"So when's dinner?" She laughed and kissed my hair.

"I just have to finish making your chicken. It shouldn't be long." I groaned.

"No, I mean when do I get to eat real food again? Not the stupid rabbit food the doctors decided I have to eat." Everyone in the room laughed. Well, everyone except me, "Sure laugh it up. You don't have to eat it!" I grabbed my shirt and pulled it back on violently, but still avoiding the wires. Diggory ruffled my hair.

"We'll go get some real food after finalization." I groaned and fell back against the couch cushions. Diggory and Polly walked back into the kitchen, still chuckling. Lucy sat awkwardly on the couch, looking at me. I sighed and held up my arm for her to lay back. She sighed and lay down against my chest. I wrapped my arm around her and she snuggled into me. I handed her the remote and she flipped through the channels. I was so content that I fell asleep with her lying on my heart.

Lucy's POV

Diggory carried Edmund's monitor up the stairs and to the porch. We walked into the house and I followed Polly into the kitchen, while Diggory took Edmund into the living room. When the noises in the living room had died down a little, Polly yelled out.

"Do you need anything Love?" I heard him yell back.

"My dignity would be nice." I couldn't help but laugh, but turned it into a coughing fit when Polly glared at me, looking slightly hurt. I rubbed her back and she smiled at me. We started to get back to dinner (meatloaf and potatoes for us; grilled chicken and carrots for Edmund.), when Diggory walked in the kitchen, looking sad. He gave me a weak smile.

"Lucy-Lu, why don't you go sit with Edmund until dinner? He's probably getting sick of the two of us." I smiled at him and walked into the kitchen, where Edmund was flopped on the couch, the heart monitor beeping beside him. He scooted over and I sat down with him. I tried to look at him, but couldn't help but stare at the steady pulse that was coming from the machine. I barely noticed the tears forming in my eyes.

"It's not going to stop beeping." I turned to him, the tears threatening to fall. All I could think about was his pale body, and how I had to give him CPR. One of the doctors said I saved his life. Knowing that didn't erase the image of him being loaded into the ambulance. "I'm going to be okay you know." His voice had humor in it, but also desperation. Desperation for me to just drop the subject. I found my voice enough to whisper.

"You almost died." Edmund groaned beside me.

"But I didn't." That's when I got mad. How dare he act like this isn't a big deal?

"YOU DIDN'T SEE YOURSELF! YOU WERE SO PALE AND STILL AND YOU WEREN'T BREATHING." I couldn't yell anymore. I just burst into sobs and Edmund took me into his arms. He rubbed my back and whispered to me while I cried myself out. I guess I had to tell him the real problem. What I had heard the ambulance workers yelling as they franticly loaded him. They were losing him. I was losing him. I never thought I would become this attached to someone I had known for three weeks. I sat up and looked into his deep brown eyes, "I thought you died." It was a split second before I threw my arms around his neck, burying my head in his shoulder. Suddenly, his heart monitor went to flat. I shot my head up and Diggory and Polly ran in. Edmund held up a thin red wire with a plastic circle on the end.

"One of the wires got loose." Polly sighed in relief, while Diggory looked up to the sky, like he was thanking someone. Polly rustled through the basket on the monitor pole, pulling out a roll of medical tape. She made a motion for Edmund to take his shirt off. Edmund removed himself from my arms, and pulled his shirt off. I guess he thought I wouldn't be looking now, since the muscles that were so awe worthy were replaced by pale skin drawn over an underweight stomach. Although I wasn't looking at his stomach, I was staring at the scar from his surgery. Polly taped the wire back to his chest and shoved his shoulder.

"Be more careful." Edmund just laughed at her anger, because anyone could see it was all an act.

"So when's dinner?" Edmund laughed and Polly kissed his hair lovingly.

"I just have to finish making your chicken. It shouldn't be long." Edmund let out a dissatisfied groan.

"No, I mean when do I get to eat real food again? Not the stupid rabbit food the doctors decided I have to eat." Everyone in the room laughed. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. His dinner looked disgusting on so many levels, "Sure laugh it up. You don't have to eat it!" He yanked his shirt back on and Diggory ruffled his hair.

"We'll go get some real food after finalization." He fell back into the cushions with a groan. Diggory and Polly walked into the kitchen, laughing on their way out. I was sitting on the couch awkwardly, staring at Edmund. He sighed and held up his arm.

I lay against his chest again, sighing with contentment. He wrapped an arm around me and I snuggled deeper. I breathed in his scent, feeling his body heat against me. He handed me the remote and I started channel surfing. I felt Edmund's breathing even out and realized he had fallen asleep with me in his arms. I tucked my head onto his left breast, listening to his heartbeat, the steady thump lulling me to sleep.

A/N: A little fluffyness to make up for all the angsty drama.


	15. A Little Affection

Edmund's POV

I woke up in my bed the next morning, with my face mask on. I pulled it off and turned off the air machine. I looked down to see myself shirtless. _Diggory must've taken it off. _I looked down and counted my ribs, like most people who can see their ribs do. _Damn, I really need to put on some weight!_

I walked in and saw the soggy bowl of oatmeal sitting on the table. I looked a Polly, begging her to reconsider. She was without mercy, just grabbing the spatula threateningly. I sighed and threw myself into a chair, grabbing a spoon.

I was halfway through the bowl, when Lucy came into the kitchen, fully dressed. I looked down and noticed I was still in my pajamas, aside from having put on a dark blue tee shirt. I just shrugged and went back to forcing myself to consume the terrible gray goop Polly was forcing me to eat.

"Good morning." Lucy threw out, smiling. I just raised my spoon, before I took another bite and swallowed, pulling a face. "How did I get into bed last night? And how did I get into my pajamas?" I finished the bowl, standing up and walking over to Polly.

"I ask the same questions." Polly laughed and took the bowl from me, pointing at the table for me to sit back down. I sighed and flopped into a chair.

"Well, Diggory carried the both of you. We had to disconnect the heart monitor while we took you to bed. Of course, we also had to disconnect Lucy…" She said this suggestively, and I couldn't help but blush. I sent Lucy a sideways glance and saw she was looking at the table and her cheeks were red as well. Polly just gave us a knowing look and laughed. "Anyway, Diggory got your mask on and changed your clothes, and I got Lucy dressed." I sighed, trying to think of what I could do while connected to a heart monitor.

"So what am I allowed to do today?" Polly laughed and pointed at the living room. I groaned, because lying down and doing nothing just didn't sound like fun. "But, I'm sure Diggory could use help with something?" I asked hopefully and Polly just laughed.

"Lucy will help in the barn today." I sighed, accepting defeat, and trudged into the living room, dragging the monitor behind me.

Three hours later, Lucy came stumbling in, collapsing on the couch beside me. She was sweaty and dirty and her hair was mussed up, but she looked more attractive now than she did at the party.

"How do you do that every day? I mean, shoveling and feeding and watering. I don't get how you can do it daily!" I laughed a little.

"You get used to it. It took me a few weeks, but I got it down." She gaped at me.

"Only a few weeks? It would take me at least two months to get used to it." I laughed again.

"I was used to manual labor." I tilted my head back, giving a giant sigh. "If the doctors were trying to bore me to death, I'm almost there. Give it two more days of this!" She giggled and patted my shoulder with a sweaty hand.

"I'm going to go shower, then I'll keep you company." I just sighed.

"Whatever." I heard her walk down the hall and the shower turn on.

Twenty minutes later, Lucy came back out; looking dressed up like she was going somewhere, not playing cards with the Narnia Ranch invalid. We started a very intense game of 'War' before Polly popper her head in the room.

"Diggory and I have to run into town. Lucy, will you make sure he does as he's told and stays put?" Lucy smiled at her and nodded, before returning her attention to our game. We heard Polly and Diggory pull out and Lucy looked at me with a mix of shame and embarrassment.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you last night." I stared at her for a few seconds, before bursting into laughter. She looked at me, half indignant half relieved.

"What are you laughing at?" I just shook my head and threw out another card. She did the same and stared at me, "Why were you laughing?"  
"I wasn't mad at you." I told her, still chuckling, "It's funny that you thought I was, when I was willing to keep you from going into hysterics." We both threw down the same card, which resulted in a war. She won, and I leaned in to grab the cards for her. She reached for them at the same time and our hands touched. We looked up and I did the most daring thing I'd ever done. I leaned in and kissed her, cradling the side of her face with my hand. She didn't respond, so I was about to pull away and apologize when she grabbed the back of my neck and kissed me back. I moved my hand from her face to her neck, kissing her firmer. I would've kept kissing her had Diggory and Polly not chosen that moment to pull into the driveway. We pulled apart, both bright red. For lack of another thing to say, I grabbed her hand, intertwining our fingers, and turned on the TV.

Lucy's POV

I woke up in my room, to the tell-tale beeping of Edmund's monitor going down the hallway. When I sat up, I realized I was in my room, in my Hello Kitty pajamas. I don't remember how I got here, but what I do remember is falling asleep in Edmund's arms, listening to his heartbeat. Also, how he had willingly taken me into his arms, causing shivers to run up my spine.

I shot out of bed and darted to my closet, searching for something to wear. I settled on a mini tee shirt and jean shorts. I pulled my hair up halfway, before walking into the kitchen.

Edmund was at the table, trying to force himself to eat a bowl of nasty looking goop. He was still in his pajamas, and they were really loose on him. Polly was over at the stove, cooking something. I smiled at everyone.

"Good morning." Edmund raised his spoon up to me, before taking another bite of his breakfast. "How did I get into bed last night? And how did I get into my pajamas?" Edmund stood up and took his bowl over to Polly.

"I ask the same questions." Polly laughed at him, and pointed at the table for him to sit back down. He sighed, but did as he was told, flopping into the chair.

"Well, Diggory carried the both of you. We had to disconnect the heart monitor while we took you to bed." She directed that at Edmund "Of course, we also had to disconnect Lucy…" She said this suggestively, and I blushed bright red and looked at the table. I heard Polly laugh. "Anyway, Diggory got your mask on and changed your clothes, and I got Lucy dressed." Edmund gave a sigh and I looked at him.

"So what am I allowed to do today?" Polly laughed and pointed at the living room. Edmund groaned, not liking that idea. "But, I'm sure Diggory could use help with something?" He questioned, and Polly laughed.

"Lucy will help in the barn today." I looked at her, and Edmund sighed, trudging into the living room.

After all the morning barn work had been done, I stumbled back up to the house, exhausted. I don't get how they do that two times a day. I walked into the living room, falling on the couch beside Edmund.

"How do you do that every day? I mean, shoveling and feeding and watering. I don't get how you can do it daily!" Edmund laughed at me.

"You get used to it. It took me a few weeks, but I got it down." I couldn't help but gape at him.

"Only a few weeks? It would take me at least two months to get used to it." He laughed again. I like his laugh, even if it is at my expense.

"I was used to manual labor." He heaved a giant sigh. "If the doctors were trying to bore me to death, I'm almost there. Give it two more days of this!" I giggled girlishly, patting his shoulder.

"I'm going to go shower, then I'll keep you company." His only response was a sigh.

"Whatever." I walked down the hall and showered, before changing into a much nicer outfit than was required to just hang out with Edmund on the couch.

We were in the middle of playing 'War' with a deck of old playing cards, when Polly popped in the room.

"Diggory and I have to run into town. Lucy, will you make sure he does as he's told and stays put?" I smiled and nodded, quickly looking back to the game at the prospect of being alone with Edmund. When Diggory and Polly pulled out, I looked up at Edmund.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you last night." We had a staring contest for a few minutes before he burst into hysterical laughter. _Well, at least he isn't mad._

"What are you laughing at?" He gave no response, other than throwing out another card. I did the same, "Why were you laughing?"  
"I wasn't mad at you." He was still chuckling at me, "It's funny that you thought I was, when I was willing to keep you from going into hysterics." We both threw down the same card, which resulted in a war. I won, so I reached in to grab the cards, Edmund looked like he was going to grab them for me, and our hands met. I looked into his brown eyes, and he leaned in and kissed me, his warm, calloused hand on the side of my face. I couldn't respond. I was in too much shock over the fact that Edmund was actually kissing me. I felt him start to pull back, which is when I gain my coherent thought and grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him back to me. He moved his hand from my face to the back of my neck and deepened the kiss. I don't know how far it would've gone, had Diggory and Polly not chosen that moment to pull in. He pulled away, and I flushed scarlet. I couldn't think of anything to say, and it looked like neither could he, so he grabbed my hand and flipped on the TV, lacing our fingers together.


	16. Do you want to?

A/n: I noticed the other day I had never put up a witty disclaimer! PLEASE DON'T SUE!

Disclaimer: I own none of this. :[

Lucy's POV

The kiss wasn't discussed the next day, or the day after that. As it turns out, Edmund's strength the first day had worn him out. He got up for meals with the family (which he ate without pleasure) and to go to the bathroom, but other than that, he stayed in bed. Also, I was busy doing work around the ranch with Digory. I have a great respect for him. I don't know how he does it.

It was a three days until I got the chance to corner Edmund. Or I more or less, stormed into his room, jolting him awake. His heart picked up from the shock, before calming when he saw it was only me.

"God Dammit Lucy! Are you trying to give me another heart attack?" I cringed at this and looked at my feet. I didn't mean to scare him. We just needed to talk.

"Sorry," I whispered meekly. I heard him sigh deeply and I looked up at him. He had his head in his hands and was shaking his head. I realized he was shirtless. He had put some weight back on, but he was nowhere near healthy yet. I looked at where his scar would be and noticed several other fainter ones. I blushed red when I noticed I was gaping again.

"S' alright. Do you want to sit down?" He made a general motion towards the end of the bed and I went and sat on it. We just stared at each other for several minutes, trying to have a silent conversation with our eyes.

"We need to talk." _With words_, I added silently. He just nodded. I could tell that, like most men, communication wasn't his forte, which is why I was surprised when he spoke up.

"I'm sorry I kissed you. I was out of line." It was in the same whisper he used when I first came. I didn't want to go back to that. EARTH TO EDMUND! Did he forget that I was responding quite energetically? He was staring at his lap now, not looking at me at all.

"Edmund, please look at me." He looked up at me and his fathomless brown eyes were swirling with emotion. I grabbed his hand, lacing my fingers with his. We stared at each other for a few more minutes, before I leaned in and pressed my lips to his. He froze for a second, before releasing my hand and moving it to the small of my back. He laced his other hand in my hair. I had one hand behind his neck, and the other pressed to his chest. I felt his tongue flick my lips, and I opened them willingly. He explored my mouth, twirling his tongue with mine. I let out a small moan (because he was really good at this) and pulled away, gasping for breath. He was gasping as well, and the heart monitor was beeping much faster.

"Hey Lucy?" He said after a few moments to catch our breath.

"Yeah?" I didn't trust myself to say anything else.

"Do you want to go on a real date when Polly lets me off of house arrest? I promise it won't end in a hospital visit." I laughed weakly and nodded, still not trusting myself to say anything. He grinned and took me in his arms, laying back on the pillows. I was up against his bare chest, listening to his heartbeat. We just sat there until Polly came in to check on Edmund, and found us lying together again. I didn't know what was going to happen, but I hoped it was great.

Edmund's POV

Okay, I was hiding. Well, not hiding because she knew where I was the whole time, but I was playing sick. I came out for family meals, and to use the bathroom and shower, but I was mostly hiding in my room, pretending I didn't feel good. The up side: I wasn't seeing Lucy. The down side: Polly came in EVERY hour to check on me.

It wasn't that I didn't like Lucy, because honestly I was close to obsessed. (I wonder if this is how Aravis felt last year?) I was just embarrassed to see her after the other night. I can't believe I kissed her. Like she would ever like messed up, unhealthy Edmund? _You idiot, she probably only kissed you back because she felt sorry for you! _

I was laying on my bed, halfway asleep, thinking about the kiss three days ago, when my door slammed open and a very irate Lucy stormed in. My heart rate picked up, half from the shock of being woken up, and half from the shock of being woken up by her.

"God Dammit Lucy!" I took a few deep breaths, trying to catch my breath and slow my heart rate. _It doesn't matter, she doesn't like you like that. _"Are you trying to give me another heart attack?" Lucy flinched and looked at her feet. It wasn't until I sat back and thought about what I said that I dropped my head into my hands, shaking any thoughts of us together out of my head. I heard her whisper a weak apology, and I sighed deeply. I looked up at her.

"S' alright. Do you want to sit down," I asked with a broad wave of my hand. She went and sat on the end of my bed, which surprised me, because I expected her to choose the desk chair. For a few minutes we locked eyes, trying to say what we needed to silently.

"We need to talk." I nodded, knowing I had to apologize for the other night.

"I'm sorry I kissed you. I was out of line." I looked at my hands in my lap, not able to see the look on her face.

"Edmund, please look at me." Damn. I really didn't want to, but I looked up anyway. I stared into her innocent blue eyes, before she grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers. We looked at each other for a few minutes, maybe hours, before she leaned forward and kissed me. It took me a few seconds to recover from the fact that SHE kissed me, but when I did, I moved my hand from hers to the small of her back, the other tangling in her hair. She had a hand grabbing my neck, and another rubbing against my bare chest, driving me insane. I flicked at her lips, which parted, and explored her mouth, running my tongue along hers, eliciting a small moan. She pulled away and we were both deep breathing. My heart monitor was also beating, steadily, but much faster. When we had both caught our breath, I decided to take a risk, something I rarely do.

"Hey Lucy?" My heart beat sped up again, but this time from nerves.

"Yeah?" She was still trying to catch her breath, and I considered getting the face mask for her.

"Do you want to go on a real date when Polly lets me off of house arrest? I promise it won't end in a hospital visit." She laughed weakly and my heart dropped. _Of course she wouldn't want to go out with you moron! _But then she nodded and I couldn't do anything but grin. I gently grabbed her, and held her in my arms, until Polly came in and found us lying together and freaked out. I'm okay with the fact that things got worse. They always seem to get better.

A/N: Well, there you go! Edmund was sure down on himself in this one, wasn't he? Read and Review!


	17. The Quarry

Lucy's POV

It was three weeks later that I walked into the kitchen to see Edmund, off his heart monitor, arguing with Polly, something they do quite often.

"Please! It's been three weeks; I just want to go riding down to the quarry." Polly gave a click of her tongue.

"No Edmund. I'm not taking you to the hospital again." He gave an enormous sigh. To most, it would appear he had surrendered. To anyone who had seen a Polly/Edmund fight, they knew otherwise.

"So you're going to keep me vacuumed packed until I move out."

"If that's what it takes, than yes, I will."

"Even the doctors said I made a remarkably quick recovery. PLEASE let me out!" He was begging now, which was entertaining, "I'll take Lucy with me." He pointed at me rapidly.

"Lucy wouldn't want to go swimming in some gross quarry. I don't understand why you want to."

"I like to swim." I told Polly and Edmund grinned triumphantly.

"See, she wants to go. Please." He stuck out his bottom lip in a puppy dog pout. His dark brown eyes were heartbreaking, and Polly threw her hands up in defeat.

"Fine." Edmund shot his fist up in the air and turned to run out of the kitchen, before stopping to look at me.

"Go get your swimsuit on under your clothes, and meet me in the barn. I promised you a date." He darted out of the kitchen and down the hall. Polly turned to look at me.

"Date?" I just shrugged, biting my bottom lip to keep from grinning.

I had my yellow polka-dot bikini on under a Narnia Ranch tee shirt that Digory had given me and a pair of jean shorts. I grabbed a towel and walked down the barn, seeing Edmund saddling the horse that we had brushed on my second day, Phillip. That seems forever ago. The day I really started liking Edmund.

"Hi." I walked over shyly. He grinned at me. He fastened another buckle, before turning.

"Are you ready to go?" I nodded and he helped me up on the horse, before climbing on in front of me. He grabbed the reigns at the same time I grabbed his waist. He froze before flicking them and we took off at a moderate pace.

About a half an hour of riding and mindless conversation later, we reached a giant lake, cut out from rock. Edmund hopped off Phillip and helped me off, before tying him to a tree. He stripped his shirt off, and I noticed his stomach was no longer concave. After kicking his shoes off, he ran and jumped into the lake. When his head popped back up, he motioned to me to join him.

"Are you coming?"

"Are you going to laugh at my swimsuit?" He smirked slightly.

"I promise nothing." I heaved a sigh and stripped out of my shirt and shorts, kicking my shoes off. I heard the inevitable singing.

"It was an itsy bitsy tiny winy yellow polka dot bikini…" He trailed off when he started laughing. I ran in and jumped right by him, cutting off his mirth. I felt the bottom of the lake and noticed it was all rock.

"The bottom isn't sand?" He laughed again.

"It's a quarry. It's basically a giant rock pit." I gaped at him. I've heard these things were dangerous.

"Is it safe? To swim here I mean?" He laughed again.

"As long as you don't do any head first dives." I laughed and splashed him, starting a giant war. That was until he grabbed me around the waist and whispered in my ear.

"I win." I shivered at his warm hands holding my bare skin. I was so distracted I didn't notice him picking me up and walking toward a deeper area. That is until he dropped me with a plop. I surfaced sputtering out water, and saw him laughing his butt off. _So that's how you want to play?_ I walked over to him and placed both my hands on his chest and he stopped laughing. I moved them up to his shoulders and heard him gulp. Then I dunked him underwater. He came up laughing. We kept at this until we both got so tired we couldn't breathe from laughing so much, so we went back to the shore and collapsed on towels. We lay there, staring at the sky for a few minutes before I stuck all my courage to ask him something that could potentially ruin our… whatever we are.

"Hey Edmund?" He turned on his side to look at me, his eyes bright. When I saw this, I almost lost my nerve, but against my better judgment I plowed on.

"What was your mom like?" His eyes darkened, but not in anger like I expected, instead in sadness. He rolled back onto his back, staring blankly up.

"She was…" He trailed off, looking sad. I grabbed his hand.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He gave a hollow laugh.

"It's not that I don't want to. I'd love to talk about her, but I…" He trailed off again and heaved a big sigh, and turned to look at me, "I don't really remember. After she died, Andrew knocked me around a little. I hit my head a few times and was never treated, so I lost a lot of my memory." I looked at him in disbelief.

"What about all those stories you told us looking at pictures?" He laughed the same hollow laugh.

"I don't really remember any of those, just Susan telling me what happened. When I would wake up and not know who I was Susan would pull out old photo albums and tell me the stories behind them." He sighed, "I remember having a bad dream and climbing in bed with her. But I don't remember what she was like." He turned to look at me again, "I just always thought of Peter and Susan as Mom and Dad, although I never told them." I started rubbing circles on his hand with my thumb.

"Who's Andrew?" His eyes darkened and he glared, but I don't think it was at me.

"My step-dad. I was mommy's little mistake and he never let me forget it." The hand I was holding started to clench. "After my mom died, he beat me, and only me, because I was the visitor in the house and not his son." He sighed again when he rolled onto his back. "He's in jail because there was a teacher at my school, who promised that if I told her where I got my black eye, she wouldn't tell anyone." He stopped for a few seconds, before he spat out, "Ms. Jadis. Right after I told her, she called the cops and the three of us were taken away. I ended up in some foster homes that made Andrews house look like heaven."

I started rubbing circles on his hand again, scooting a little closer. He turned his head and smiled at me. I smiled back. "Are you happy now?" He smiled wider looking up again.

"Happier than I can ever remember." We sat in a happy silence for a few minutes, before he turned to look at me, his eyes mischievous. Before I could ask what was so funny, he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder, carrying me back into the water. I pounded on his back, telling him to let me go, which he did when we got farther into the water. We started our splashing war again, and kept it going for the rest of the afternoon.

Edmunds POV

I was in the kitchen trying to get Polly to let me go riding this afternoon.

"Please! It's been three weeks; I just want to go riding down to the quarry." She clicked her tongue in distain.

"No Edmund. I'm not taking you to the hospital again." I heaved a sigh, but I certainly wasn't surrendering.  
"So you're going to keep me vacuumed packed until I move out." Her face remained impassive.

"If that's what it takes, than yes, I will."

"Even the doctors said I made a remarkably quick recovery. PLEASE let me out!" Okay, I can't help it. I'm BORED! I looked out of the corner of my eye and saw Lucy watching the exchange. I pointed at her, "I'll take Lucy with me." She looked shocked but not angry.

"Lucy wouldn't want to go swimming in some gross quarry. I don't understand why you want to." Polly said matter-of-factful.

"I like to swim." Lucy piped in and I grinned, knowing I was on my way to winning this round.

"See, she wants to go. Please." I pulled out my puppy dog pout and she threw her hands up in defeat.

"Fine." I shot my hand up in victory, before turning to run out of the kitchen. I paused when I passed Lucy.

"Go get your swimsuit on under your clothes, and meet me in the barn. I promised you a date," before running out of the kitchen and down to my room.

I was saddling Phillip and going over Polly's rules in my head, wondering how many I could break without her finding out. Since she probably had me chipped when they were doing my heart surgery, I doubt too many. Lucy walked over and I smiled at her. She smiled shyly at me.

"Hi." I fastened the last buckle on the saddle.

"Are you ready to go?" She nodded and I helped her up onto Phillip, before climbing up. I grabbed the reigns and she wrapped her arms around my waist. I froze for a millisecond at the contact, before urging Phillip forward toward the quarry.

For the half an hour it took to get there we talked about everything and nothing. I hopped off of the horse, helping Lucy down, before tying Phillip to a stable looking tree. Then I stripped my shirt off and kicked off my shoes, before running toward the quarry and cannonballing in. I stayed underwater for a few seconds, before popping up. I motioned for her to come in.

"Are you coming?"

"Are going to laugh at my swimsuit?" I couldn't help but smirk in anticipation.

"I promise nothing." She sighed and stripped out of her clothes, revealing a swimsuit exactly like a song Susan used to sing to me. I knew it wasn't nice, but I couldn't help but start singing off key, "It was an itsy bitsy tiny winy yellow polka dot bikini…" I had to stop when I was laughing too hard to continue. Suddenly, she jumped in right beside me, filling my mouth with water and cutting off my laughter. I was sputtering when she came back up.

"The bottom isn't sand?" She asked, confused. I laughed a little.

"It's a quarry. It's basically a giant rock pit." She stared at me in shock.

"Is it safe? To swim here I mean?" I laughed at her ramblings.

"As long as you don't do any head first dives." It was her turn to laugh. Next thing I knew she splashed a giant wall of water into my face, starting an epic war. I decided to end the war when I walked over and grabbed her by the waist, whispering in her ear, "I win." She shivered in my arms and I picked her up and slowly moved out to the deeper area. When we were deep enough, I dropped her with a plop into the water. She came up sputtering and I cracked up. She walked over slowly, placing both her hands on my bare chest, successfully cutting off my laughter. She ran her hands up my chest to my shoulders, making me gulp. Suddenly, she pushed down on my shoulders, dunking me. I popped up laughing, because that was creative. We kept splashing each other, until we got so worn out from laughing, we could barely drag ourselves back to shore and collapse on our towels. We lay there, watching the clouds, until I saw Lucy's face scrunch up from the corner of my eye. She looked like she was thinking about something.

"Hey Edmund?" I turned from my back to my side to look at her. She was staring right into my eyes, "What was your mom like?" I rolled back on my back, staring blankly up. I hate this topic.

"She was…" I tried to remember something, anything, but couldn't think of anything. Lucy grabbed my hand.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." The irony in that statement was so immense I couldn't help but give an empty laugh.

"It's not that I don't want to. I'd love to talk about her, but I…" I heaved a sigh, trying to think of the best way to say this. I turned my head to look at her, "I don't really remember. After she died, Andrew knocked me around a little. I hit my head a few times and was never treated, so I lost a lot of my memory." She just stared at me, and I could almost guess what was coming next.

"What about all those stories you told us, looking at pictures?" I gave another empty laugh.

"I don't really remember any of those, just Susan telling me what happened."

_*Flashback*_

_Someone was shaking me and I opened my eyes to see Susan sitting over me, my head in her lap. Peter was at my feet, tears pouring down both their faces. _

"_Eddy, can you tell me who I am?" Susan asked me. It was a normal routine if I was unconscious for more than two hours._

"_Susan Marie Taylor, my sister."_

"_What about me?" Peter asked from in front of me._

"_Peter Andrew Taylor, my brother." Susan grabbed a wet washcloth and put it on my forehead, pushing down. The droplets felt amazing on my face._

"_Do you remember any of the stories?" I shook my head no, but stopped when it made me dizzy. Susan looked at Peter, who scooped me up and carried me into my room, putting me in bed. Susan came in with a giant photo album. For the next three hours, I pointed to pictures in the album and Susan told me what was going on in them, while Peter made sure Andrew didn't come in. I looked at the pretty brunette lady in the picture, but felt nothing for her. I looked up at Susan and one word came to mind; Mom. I looked up at Peter, protecting me in the doorway. When he saw me staring, he smiled; Dad. _

Lucy was rubbing circles on my hand and smiled at her.

"Who's Andrew?" I glared darkly, hoping he could feel it in the New York State Prison.

"My step-dad. I was mommy's little mistake and he never let me forget it." I tightened my grip on her hand. "After my mom died he beat me, and only me, because I was the visitor in the house and not his son." I sighed again and rolled onto my back. "He's in jail because there was a teacher at my school who promised that if I told her where I got my black eye, she wouldn't tell anyone."

_*Flashback*_

_I was so embarrassed. I have to go to school with a black eye and a tear in my tee shirt because Andrew was awake when I was leaving for school. If Peter had still been home, he would've helped me, or at least walked me to school so the other kids didn't make fun of me as much, but he had left early._

_I walked into school right before the bell rang. My teacher, Ms. Jadis, looked at me and then motioned me outside. I walked into the hallway, and she looked at me, taking in my torn clothing and bruised face. She handed me a tootsie roll and I stared at it for a few seconds, before taking it. I didn't eat it because Susan told me it was rude to eat in front of people who didn't have food themselves._

"_Edmund, will you tell me how your eye got hurt?" I looked into her ice blue eyes, which looked kind. Despite the look in them I shook my head no. I promised Peter I would never tell, because then we would be separated, "I promise, it will stay between the two of us." She handed me another tootsie roll, and I unwrapped and ate this one. It was really good. I don't know whether it was the taste of the candy or the kind tone of her voice, but I told her everything. She nodded her head and motioned me back to the classroom. She called for silent reading, before she headed out the door. It was one o'clock when the police officer came and took me from the classroom and down to the office. They asked me all kinds of questions about Andrew, but I didn't answer any of them, so they sent me home. I guess Andrew found out I said something and I ended up in the hospital that night. I was officially Exhibit A._

"I ended up in some foster homes that made Andrews house look like heaven." I told Lucy with a sad smile. She was rubbing circles on my hand and I turned and smiled at her.

"Are you happy now?" I didn't know if she meant at this second, or with Polly and DIgory, but I smiled broader.

"Happier than I can ever remember." We sat in silence until my brain hatched a plan. I turned and smirked at her, before scooping her up and throwing her over my shoulder in a fireman's carry. She was pounding on my back, telling me to drop her. I walked farther into the water, where it got deeper and did just that; dropped her. We started splashing again and this time didn't stop until the end of the afternoon.

A/N: So I had questions on who Andrew was and why Edmund was Exhibit A. Well, here ya go! Read and Review!


	18. In the Courtroom

A/N: I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long! I know that I'm dodging rotten fruit right now! I gave you a really short chapter full of lots of Drama! I understand if you don't want to review... or only review to tell me how terrible i am. But i'd really like nice reviews!

Lucy Pov

It goes without saying that Edmund was acting strange. It'd been three weeks since our date to the quarry and Polly had started monitoring him again. She could always tell when I was in there with him, because his heart rate would spike from various activities we would enjoy. But this week, Edmund was doing whatever Polly asked without argument. This is how we know he's acting strange. Edmund and Polly are always arguing. I walked into the kitchen, expecting to hear a Polly-Edmund fight.

"Edmund, take your meds." He gave a small nod, looking at his feet, before walking over to take his giant horse pills. There was no argument about how he didn't need them; No smart-ass comment about her trying to recover his lost childhood, by babying him, "I'd like you to catch up on the summer reading today." She was staring at him, concerned. He just nodded again, walking toward his room. We both followed him with our eyes.

"Polly, what's wrong with Edmund?" She sighed, plopping into the kitchen chair, motioning for me to do the same. I slid into the chair and stared at her expectantly.

"Finalization is on Friday. I think he's trying to be on his best behavior until we sign the papers." I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"You're not planning on putting him back in the system, are you?"

"Wouldn't dream of it; But Edmund is a used to being let down." She gave a giant sigh, "Linda says most children in his position react like this." We sat in silence, just staring at the door Edmund had exited. I had a feeling we were in for a long week.

I was right. The week was beyond long. Edmund was little more than a shell of what I'm dating, but as we sat in the courtroom to change Edmund Miller to Edmund Kirke, I noticed Edmund's giant smile. It was worth it. Before the judge could start the proceedings, the doors banged open and we all turned to see who just stalked in. I saw Edmund's face pale, and watched him take a step closer to DIgory. Polly rubbed his arm, trying to calm him down. Digory was just watching the stranger waiting for him to speak.

"My name is Andrew Taylor, and I have all legal rights to Edmund Miller." Digory wrapped his arms around Edmund protectively. Clearly, he wasn't giving him up without a fight. Polly hugged his arm tighter, pulling herself close to him. I just gaped. Andrew Taylor? Child Abuse Andrew Taylor? By the way Edmund was trying to edge closer to Digory, I would say yes.

"Mr. Taylor, Why are you here today?" The judge asked, as if the life of a fifteen-year-old wasn't on the line.

"I'm here to claim my legal right to Edmund." At this, Edmund let out a small whimper, taking another step closer to Digory. Polly apparently couldn't hold her tongue anymore, because she decided to speak up.

"You would put my baby back in the care of that child abusing ass hole! Legal rights or not, why don't you sit back in your big comfy chair and think about what is best for Edmund! When they give you a gavel do they take away all of your sense of humanity-"

"That's enough Mrs. Kirk." The judge cut her off with a bang of his gavel. He flipped through Edmund's file, which was laid out in front of him. "It does appear that Edmund was only in the custody of the state until Mr. Taylor came back to claim him. He does have full legal rights." Edmund let out another small whimper. "However, due to the closeness of the claim to Edmund's official adoption, I'll stop and consider the possibility of placing him in the indefinite care of the Kirks." The Judge shut Edmunds file and picked up his gavel, "Until a decision is reached, Edmund will be placed into the care of the state, away from both parties." He banged his gavel and left the courtroom quickly. Edmund froze stock still, obviously in shock over what had happened. Polly was clinging to him and Digory was still hugging him from behind, obviously reluctant to let go. Linda walked over and touched Edmund's arm.

"We need to go Edmund." She whispered, and he shook himself out of the trance he was in and silently nodded. When he passed me, he opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but instead shook his head, walking out with Linda.

Edmund's Pov

It's Monday. Finalization is Friday. I have to be good until then. Do what Polly says, don't argue, do your chores, do your reading, play nice. Just until Friday.

I'm in a court room. I'm being adopted. I'm at finalization. I'm dreaming. I have to be. Just as the judge was about to begin, the door slammed open, and a face I never wanted to see again entered.

Andrew.

I paled at the sight, stepping closer to Digory, knowing he would protect me. Polly rubbed my arm soothingly, trying to calm me down. I don't think she realized the only thing that would calm me down would be to have Him leave. He needs to leave. When he opened his mouth, I knew I wasn't going to like what he had to say.

"My name is Andrew Taylor, and I have all legal rights to Edmund Miller." I stepped closer to Digory, as he wrapped his arms around me, and Polly took a step closer to me, hugging my arm tighter. I knew he had legal rights to me. But I didn't think he would ever claim them. Or be able to for that matter. I was almost positive he was still in prison.

"Mr. Taylor, Why are you here today?" The judge asked, although I think everyone already knew why.

"I'm here to claim my legal right to Edmund." I whimpered a little, stepping even closer to Digory. _Well, I know I'm awake._ Polly, in a tone of voice usually reserved for me, decided to make her opinion heard.

"You would put my baby back in the care of that child abusing ass hole! Legal rights or not, why don't you sit back in your big comfy chair and think about what is best for Edmund! When they give you a gavel do they take away all of your sense of humanity-"Her baby? I was her baby?

"That's enough Mrs. Kirk." The judged banged his gavel and flipped through the file in front of him. My file. He was looking for where it said who had rights to me. I knew this and I hated it. "It does appear that Edmund was only in the custody of the state until Mr. Taylor came back to claim him. He does have full legal rights." I whimpered again at the possibility of being placed with him. "However," I allowed hope to fill my chest at that one word. "Due to the closeness of the claim to Edmund's official adoption, I'll stop and consider the possibility of placing him in the indefinite care of the Kirks." He closed my file with a snap, "Until a decision is reached, Edmund will be placed into the care of the state, away from both parties." With a bang of his gavel, he left with an indifferent swish of his robes. I froze, hoping maybe if I didn't move, the dream would return and this nightmare would be over. Digory pulled me tighter, as Polly clung to me like I was her last breath. I didn't snap out of my trance until Linda touched my arm and whispered lightly. "We need to go Edmund." I nodded without a word. When I walked past Lucy, I thought of a million different things I could say, and opened my mouth to spurt one out. When no words came out I just shook my head and walked away, looking at my feet.


	19. Memories

A/N: I'm kinda backing off of Ed/Lu for a little bit. This chapter is pure family fluff. I felt I owed you guys a quick update.

Edmund's POV

When Linda pulled up to the Oreius home for children, I heaved a giant sigh. Of all the children's homes they could put me in, it had to be this one. The last time I was here was pure and utter hell. The food sucks even worse than other places. I was almost glad to have the heart attack so I could get out of there!

I sighed as I opened the car door and walked up to the plain brick building. I hate being back in the city. After living on a ranch, full of wide open space and bright colors, the bland grays and crowded streets of Albany just tick me off. When I entered the foyer of the home, I just sighed and looked at my feet.

It hadn't changed. There were still the two oak doors, with the long oak preachers bench in between them. Hell, the lamp was still flickering, because the bulb hadn't been changed in centuries. The same brass plaque, thanking General J.C. Oreius for donating the money to build this "fine" establishment. A picture of the Virgin Mary, and a crucifix. When I first moved in, some of the older boys had me convinced that the crucifix was haunted, and it came awake at night and kidnapped bastards. Just another reason I hate this place.

Linda came up behind me and started rubbing my back.

"We'll have you back home soon, you'll see." She stood on her tip toes to kiss my cheek, "This is just for a little while." She led me forward to the bench and sat me down, before disappearing behind the door on the left. I lay flat on my back and shut my eyes, trying to picture being anywhere but here.

_I'm being led into a strange house… again. This time it's a ranch so I guess I'll be working. The couple who greet me are middle-aged. The man has crazy white-blonde hair and is extremely tall. I would laugh at his hair if I didn't think it would get me thumped by Linda. The woman is short and round, an exact opposite to her husband, with salt and pepper hair. It's pulled into a bun, with pieces falling out._

"_Polly, Digory, this is Edmund. Edmund, these are the Kirks." Linda introduces, pushing me forward a little._

"_Hullo." I mutter, looking at my feet. I don't plan on getting close to these people, why would I?_

"_Hello Edmund." The woman has a happy voice, like nothing has ever made her angry, "We're so happy you're here. Do you want to see your room?" I shot my head up, and looked into her happy blue eyes. What does she mean my room? _

"_Um… I guess." _

I sighed deeply. _Don't think about them. Don't think about them! _I went back into Edmund land, of course, ending up thinking about my family.

_I was lying on my bed. My bed. My own bed. Not a bunk bed, or I have to have someone lying beside me in the giant double bed. No, my bed. I was looking around my room. My room. My own room. Not a bunk room, or a tiny room that they've tried to squeeze ten foster children into. The walls were navy blue, along with the comforter and pillows. The walls were bare, but Mrs. Kirk said that I could hang up whatever I wanted when I found stuff. There was a pine desk in the corner, with a matching chair. The dresser next to the bed had a stereo on it and the bedside table had a blue lamp on it. The dresser had no clothes in it, and the closet was bare as well, but they were mine. At least, for now. My stomach growled because it was six thirty, and in every home I'd been in, dinner is a five. I don't know how to get food here though. There's no line and no bell. There's no other kid for me to ask. As I was pondering what to do about the food situation, Mrs. Kirk stuck her head into the room._

"_Edmund, I made some popcorn, Linda told us it's your favorite." I flung myself off MY bed, following Mrs. Kirk down the hall to the kitchen, where a bowl of popcorn was sitting. It looked like a prime rib steak though. Trying not to look too anxious, I started to stuff my mouth with the buttery, greasy snack food, that every hospital in the world would say was terrible for my condition._

"_My God, they starved him." I heard Mrs. Kirk mutter under her breath. I looked at her curiously. Why does she care so much? I'll probably be gone in two weeks._

They wanted me though. I was in the courtroom. I was being adopted. The door next to me banged open and I turned to see the nun I hated more than anyone. Sister Elizabeth Ann Seton.

"Edmund Miller," She said harshly, "I see you have been replaced into our care. No doubt you angered another family." I clenched my fist tightly and let out a deep sigh.

"Yes Sister." I replied obediently. She nodded tightly.

"Your number is thirty four. Follow me." Linda rubbed my arm.

"It's only for a little while." As I followed the sister, all I could think was, 'That's what I'm afraid of.'

Polly's POV

I sat in the front of the rusty pickup truck, which felt so empty without Edmund in the backseat making small advances on Lucy. I was scared, sad, and angry. I just want my baby. I don't think I can go back to how things were, and I don't think I can imagine having another child aside from Edmund. I need my baby back. He became ours so fast. The day he moved in, he seemed almost angry, not shy like we expected.

_Linda Mcarthy, the social worker we had been speaking with for the last two weeks was coming today, with our new foster child. We had received his case file over two months ago and understood that he had a lot of problems we would never relate with. So for the last two weeks I had been working my butt off to set up his room, painting it navy and finding a used bedroom set for him. Linda told us popcorn was his favorite food, so I went out and bought as much as I could afford, along with making my state specialty; Fried Chicken and Mashed Potatoes. _

_The doorbell rang and I darted toward the door, stopping to smooth my hair down before answering. I opened the door, seeing an attractive African-American woman in a power suit, dragging a lanky teenager carrying a duffel bag. I motioned for them to follow me into the living room, where Digory was waiting. He put down his newspaper and stood beside me when we came in._

"_Polly, Digory this is Edmund, Edmund, these are the Kirks." She said gently, pushing him forward. He looked up from his feet quick enough to mutter a quick hello. He almost seemed angry to be here. __Remember Polly, He's been through more than you can imagine. Be happy, Be civil, Be kind._

"_Hello Edmund." I told him happily, since Digory was playing the strong silent type, "We're so happy you're here. Do you want to see your room?" His head shot up to look at me. His haunted brown eyes searching mine, looking for some sort of bluff._

"_Um… I guess." He muttered again, and I led him down the hallway, pointing out where the bathroom and kitchen were on the way._

I wiped at the tears that had formed in my eyes. I just want to hug him. He must feel so betrayed. We promised he wouldn't go back into the system. Digory turned and looked at me, giving me a watery smile.

"Do you remember his first meal with us?" He asked me, rubbing circles on my hand as we pulled up our driveway.

"He was so scared of you it was funny." And he was.

_I had finished making dinner and was waiting for Edmund to come and eat, figuring he was just getting used to the new room. It was six thirty, a half hour past when we usually eat, and Digory was starting to get cranky, so I decided to go see if Edmund was ready to eat. As I walked down the hallway, I started thinking about him. Child Abuse, although the stepfather was arrested on a drug and pyrating charges, earning him ten years in prison, six failed adoptions, a heart condition, and numerous foster homes. Can I handle this? _

_I poked my head into his room, realizing I probably should've knocked. I watched him snap his head from where he was laying on the bed._

"_Edmund, I made some popcorn, Linda told us it's your favorite." By the way he catapulted himself off of the bed, Linda wasn't lying. He followed me quietly down the hallway, his eyes widening at the site of the giant bowl of buttery popcorn. He practicly sprinted over to the bowl and started stuffing his face, "My God, they starved him." I muttered, trying to be quiet. Apparently he heard me, because he looked up at me with a strange look on his face, before returning to the popcorn. This gave me a chance to study him. He was tall, at least 5'8", but you could tell he was still growing, due to his long arms and big feet. He was stick skinny, which Linda said was due to being in and out of hospitals for the last year. His hair was brown, but greasy, like it hadn't been washed in months. His brown eyes, I remember, were haunted. Beautiful, but haunted. Digory walked in from reading his paper in the living room, took one look at Edmund scarfing the popcorn and shook his head._

"_Geez boy, save some for everyone else." Edmund yanked his hand back from reaching for another handful of popcorn and stared at his lap._

"_I'm sorry sir." He whispered, and Digory started laughing. I took my dishtowel and snapped him with it._

"_Don't mind him, he only thinks he's funny." I saw the ghost of a wary smile on Edmund's face, "Eat. Dinner's almost ready." He looked at me confused._

"_That wasn't dinner?" I had to turn around so he wouldn't see the tears in my eyes. Luckily Digory saved the day._

"_No, Polly was all excited about you coming, so she went on a cooking spree." Digory said with a small laugh, and I snapped him with my dishtowel again, "She made fried chicken. People come from far and wide to eat this." Edmund gave another ghost smile, before cautionsly reaching his hand into the bowl again, his gaze locked on Digory, who was reading his paper. I let out a silent laugh, before bringing dinner over to the table. Digory and I asked Edmund questions through the whole meal, which he answered, flinching every time Digory asked him a question. __I think this could work._

I don't remember getting to the living room, but I was sitting on our couch, holding my one picture of Edmund, Digory, and I. It's when we went to the lake, about six months after he came to live with us. That was the first day I had seen Edmund genuinely smile. That was the day I swore he would never leave my sight. That he would be mine forever. I looked down at the picture, running my fingers over his happy face, before bursting into tears. _I just want my baby!_


	20. The Very First Day

Edmund's POV

I woke up to the bell and groaned. I forgot how much I hated that bell. I had even trained myself to wake up without an alarm clock so I wouldn't need a bell to wake me up anymore. I heard a vaguely familiar laughing beside me and opened my eyes to see a familiar face standing next to me.

"If it isn't Edmund Miller!" The slightly Spanish accent said, "Didn't think that after a year we'd see you again." I swung out of the uncomfortable bunk bed and pulled him into a man hug.

"Caspian Telmar. You still here or just back?" He let out a sigh with a ghost of a smile on his face.

"Still, but there's food every day, so I can't complain." I clapped his back with a sympathetic smile.

"I hear you." He laughed deeply.

"I think you're the only one here who can actually say that they do understand. So what happened with this family? Were you trying to piss them off or did it just happen?" I looked at my feet and didn't say anything, "Ed, you okay?" He asked, leaning down to look into my face.

"They wanted me. We were in the courtroom. They wanted me." I had to fight back the tears in my eyes. I snagged a wash cloth and wet my face immediately, so no one would notice the few tears that fell down my face. This is about the time in the morning that Polly and I would've had our second fight.

"Aw, I'm sorry man." I think he knew why I was washing my face, but was smart enough to not say anything, "What happened?" I sighed deeply, placing the wash cloth back on the towel rack for someone else to use.

"Remember my stepdad, Andrew?" He gave a hum of recognition, "He came back to claim all legal rights to me." Instead of the sympathetic look I was expecting, he shot me a look of confusion.

"Didn't he sacrifice all rights as legal guardian when he was charged with child abuse?" I gave a hollow laugh.

"He was never charged with child abuse. They got him for ten years for drugs and some illegal movies. He could've done ten years for that, or seven for child abuse and never see Susan or Peter again." I gave another laugh, followed with a grim smile, "So he chose ten years in jail, but obviously didn't serve them all." Caspian nodded his head in recognition,

"Ah." We were silent until we reached the area where everyone lines up for breakfast and morning prayers, "What's your number?"

"34, you?" His face lit up in recognition.

"33." I nodded, with a small smile. It's always nice to be near friends. Suddenly, a girl with silky black hair bowled into me. My first thought was _CALL THE COPS! ARAVIS FOLLOWED ME TO THE HOME,_ but when she looked up at me, and I saw the beautiful pair of emerald eyes, I conjured up a smile.

"Hey Anne, What's up?" She laughed, holding me tighter.

"Same as always, you should know that." I rolled my eyes and looked at Caspian, who mouthed '35'. I let out an inaudible sigh.

"We should go line up." I said in what I hoped was a relaxed tone, trying to gently pry her off of me. She removed her arms from my waist and latched onto my arm.

"So, Eddie-"I frowned at the nickname, especially because she knows I hate it. "Now that you're back, we should…" She trailed off with a suggestive look on her face. Caspian was beside Anne, flipping his shoulder-length hair idle-mindedly, in a sadly accurate impersonation of her.

"I don't think so Anne." I told her, trying not to laugh at Caspian, who was impersonating the pout that now graced Anne's face.

"Why not Ed?" Well, that's better than Eddie. I pried my arm loose from hers. Hey, this is familiar_._ _Only this time, my other arm isn't wrapped around Lucy._ A pain of sadness shot through me at this. She looked at me in confusion, a look that Caspian was also impersonating; Very well.

"I have a girlfriend." She now looked at me in slight anger and hurt. Caspian was just surprised. I realized I hadn't told him about Lucy.

"A girlfriend?" She asked, now sounding pissed.

"Yeah, Lucy." She looked me from head to toe, trying to see if I was kidding. When my face remained neutral, she returned to her seductive self.

"Well, she's not here, and I'm sure she doesn't understand you half as well as I do." _Why did I like her again? _

"I really think we should go line up." I repeated prying myself off of her. She stomped away in a fit to go talk to other girls in the dorm, but I knew she'd be back. She was number 35.

Breakfast was hell! Anne was glaring at me the whole time, including during prayer. She was probably praying for my doom; or Lucy's, whoever god struck first. So I did my best to ignore her, choosing to stare at my food, and try and ignore the fact that she was running her foot up my leg. When we were dismissed, Caspian and I immediately went outside and saw some of the other boys we used to hang out with.

"Hey, check who it is!" All five of them looked up from whatever they were doing to look at me. They just sat in shock for a few seconds, before a smaller blonde boy stood up and embraced me.

"Hey Shasta, how rolls it?" He grinned, pulling my arm to sit down beside him.

"It rolls. What about you?" I shrugged, sitting in the open spot next to Drinian, Caspian taking his other side.

"I've been better. But that's how it goes, right?" They all laughed, slapping me on the back. A voice from behind me made me freeze.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Edmund Freaking Miller." I clenched my jaw, and turned around to greet the face who haunted my nightmares as a kid.

"Nice to see you Ginarrbrik, terrorized anyone else lately?" He let out a laugh that sounded more like a cackle, and smiled wickedly.

"You know you have a special place in my heart Eddie. I couldn't replace you." Just as I was about to retort (or punch him in the mouth, because I'm taller and stronger than him now), one of the nuns yelled,

"Edmund Miller." I whipped my head, and she just motioned me to follow.

"Geez Ed, you've been here for twelve hours, what did you do?" Trumpkin asked, humor in his tone. I just shot him a very rude hand gesture, pushed Ginarrbrik out of my way, and went to follow the nun, who I don't think saw my hand motion.

"Your social worker is here, along with a visitor." I furrowed my brow in confusion. Linda, I understand coming, but the only people who would want to come to see me are in a custody battle, and not allowed to visit. I followed the sister (I'm not sure what her name is because she's new) into one of the small visiting rooms, where Linda was waiting. What surprised me was that Lucy was beside her.

"LUCY!" I ran over as she shot up and threw her arms around my neck. I pulled her closer, wrapping my arms around her waist.

"I missed you." She murmured in my ear, her breath tickling my ear. We stood like that for I don't know how long, until Linda cleared her throat, indicating we had actual things to talk about. _Damn Straight we do! _I sat down in the chair across from Linda, Lucy next to me, pulling her chair close to me.

"Linda, you have a little explaining to do." I said with a dark glare. I felt Lucy tense beside me, but didn't know why. I'm not mad at her. In fact, I can think of a few things I'd like to do that would prove that I'm not mad at her.

"Yes, Edmund I do." She sighed, as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders. "I knew Andrew was out of jail, but thought nothing of it."  
"YOU KNEW HE WAS OUT OF JAIL!" I hadn't realized I stood up until my chair hit the floor. Lucy was slinking away, and that was enough to calm me down from going into full-on rage.  
"Edmund please calm down." Linda said soothingly.

"Considering the situation, I'm pretty damn calm!" I glared at her, wanting a reason why I wasn't at home right now, why I was back in this hell hole, why my girlfriend was slinking away from me, why I was throwing the first rage I'd had since I moved in with the Kirks.

"Edmund, please sit down." I continued glaring, but picked my chair back up and sat down. I obviously had to play nice if I wanted answers. My glare turned into an expectant huff when she didn't start talking right away. "Yes, I knew he was out of jail, but didn't think I had to worry about him coming to claim you." I growled a little, but said nothing, which seemed to make Linda happy. "I should've told you, but I was worried about what it would do to you. You weren't angry anymore, and you were just getting comfortable with the Kirks. I didn't want to ruin it." I couldn't hold back the sarcastic retort this time.

"So you decided to wait until he burst into the court room during finalization? Just as a little surprise?" My tone was biting and matched my attitude perfectly.

"Edmund, I didn't come here today to fight with you." My jaw locked into place, trying not to release all of my anger. I didn't want to scare Lucy.

"Why are you here?" I asked, my jaw still locked tight.

"I wanted to tell you about your court date, and to bring you your medication."

"When do I go to court?" I was counting in my head, like the anger management chick from the hospital taught me to do, and it was calming me down.

"Lucy, I'm sorry, but you need to wait outside for now." She nodded and scurried out the door. I dropped my head into my hands with a groan. _Great, Lucy hates me_. "Edmund?" I looked up at Linda, all my anger gone, "Are you alright?" I shook my head.

"I hate getting like that. I hate not being able to control my anger. I hate that I can't stay calm without Polly and Digory, or Susan and Peter. I just want to go home." I groaned again, this time just slumping back. We were quiet for a few seconds, before I whispered, "Lucy hates me now. She's afraid of me." Linda shook her head.

"If she is, it's her own fault. I told her you might not be yourself, might be a little scary, and she still wanted to come."

"Linda," I whispered again and she looked at me.

"Yes love?"

"What are my chances of going home?" She grabbed my hand and smiled.

"I put in for another judge. One who has dealt with situations like this." She squeezed my hand. "We have a good chance."

"When do I go to court?" She paused, like she was trying to figure out the best way to answer.

"Well, with the change of judge, and the complexity of the case-"

"How long?" I asked again.

"A month, at least. Two, at most."

"Why did Lucy need to be out of the room for that?" I asked, wondering why a court date is confidential.

"She didn't. I just figured you could use the time to calm down." I smiled at her.

"Thanks. Is there any way I could get a few minutes with Lucy alone?" Linda smiled and nodded.

"I have to go talk to the nurse about your pills, and that will take at least twenty minutes." I grinned, standing up to hug her.

"Hey Linda?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think it could take thirty?" She just laughed and ushered Lucy in the room.

To say she looked terrified would be an understatement. I gave her a smile, before looking at my feet. I was ashamed of the way I acted. That wasn't anywhere close to what one of my worst rages have been, seeing as I've had to be restrained before, but this is the first time I've ever been embarrassed by my behavior. She walked over and grabbed my hand.

"Are you okay?" I nodded, but didn't look at her face. "Has that happened before?" I started to nod, before shaking my head. "No, you've never been mad like that before?" She seemed desperate for me to say something, so I had to get over my humiliation, to deal with her fear.

"No, I've thrown rages before, but I've never been able to calm myself down." She gasped, dropping my hand and taking a step back, like I was a monster that would eat her. I just sank into my chair and tried not to sob. I really liked her. "It's okay Lucy, I understand." It was a few minutes before I heard her taking steps toward me. She put her fingers under my chin and pressed her lips lightly to mine. I was so surprised, I almost forgot to kiss back. Almost. She pulled away with a tiny smile.

"I'm not going anywhere." I grinned and kissed her again, pulling her into my lap. She pressed her lips to mine and I could feel her smile. I wrapped my arms around her waist, running my hands up her back. Both of her arms were linked around my neck, playing with my hair, and her tongue was asking for entrance into my mouth, which was granted almost immediately. After a few minutes of this, I pulled away and she stood up off of me. We both understood, we couldn't go much farther, because she had to leave and I had to stay. "Hi." She whispered, and I laughed breathlessly.

"That's a hell of a hello." She giggled and I looked her up and down, noticing the khaki shorts. "Are those my shorts?" She laughed again.

"Yeah. Polly gave them to me when you first had your attack and couldn't help around the ranch. She said they were old and didn't fit anymore."

"Geez, I'm gone for one day and you give away all my stuff." She giggled again, before sitting back down on my lap, resting her head on my shoulder with a sigh.

"When are you coming home? It's too quiet." She whispered into my neck. I heaved a sigh and wrapped my arms back around her waist, kissing the top of her head.

"Linda said a month, at least." Her breath hitched and she looked up into my eyes.

"I'm leaving in two weeks." My eyes widened as my arms tightened around her waist.

"I won't get to say goodbye." I whispered, close to tears. She pressed her lips to mine again, to which I responded immediately. We pulled away, pressing our foreheads together.

"I love you Edmund." She said quietly, her breath tickling my face. I felt like my heart was going to burst, and not in a bad way.

"I love you too Luc." I kissed her again, never wanting to let go. However, I did have to let go when Linda took Lucy back home and Sister Mary Elizabeth took me to the infirmary. My heart's never been broken like this.

Lucy POV

I went into the kitchen, wanting to see Polly and Edmund fighting, or Edmund being ridiculously submissive, but instead, I saw Polly sitting at the kitchen table holding a picture frame, her hands shaking. I saw that no one had made coffee yet, so I went over and got it started. When it gave the ding to signal the pot was done, I fixed a cup up the way she likes it (no sugar, a little milk) and handed it to her. She gave me a small smile before looking back down at the picture. I looked at it over her shoulder. It was a picture of Edmund, Digory, and Polly at a lake somewhere. Edmund was lankier than usual, and a giant grin was on his sun burnt face. Polly and Digory were on either side of him with proud grins on their faces.

"I miss him." She whispered. I started to rub her back in small circles. "It's been less than a day, and I miss him." Her shoulders started shaking again and I pulled her into a hug. "I don't think I can live without him Lucy. That judge can't take my son away. It'd kill me."

"I know. I miss him too." I felt tears falling down my face. We sat like that until we heard a car pulling up the drive.

"Hello?" Linda yelled.

"I'm gonna go get changed and help Digory in the barn." I told her, giving her a final squeeze. As I was walking back to my room I yelled to Linda, "She's in the kitchen."

In my room, I threw on my Narnia Ranch t-shirt, before looking for a pair of shorts. I pulled open the bottom drawer, spotting the pair of khakis that used to belong to Edmund. I remembered Polly giving them to me, right after Edmund got out of the hospital, so I would have something to wear when I was working in the barn. She said they were his from when he first moved in. Holding them up, I noticed how small they were. Was Edmund really that skinny at one point? I held them up to my face, breathing in his unique smell. Sliding my pajama pants off, I slid the shorts on, noticing they fit almost perfectly, aside from being too long. _Jeez, how small was he?_

I walked down to the barn, seeing Digory sitting on Edmund and I's bench, as I had taken to calling the first place I really got to see a little bit of Edmund's personality under the mask. I went and sat beside Digory.

"Hi." He turned and looked at me, offering a small smile.

"I had all the other horses done, until I got to Phillip." I grabbed his hand, and he shot me another weak smile, "Phillip was his horse."

"Linda's up in the house with Polly. I'll take care of Phillip." He nodded and let go of my hand. I fed and watered Phillip, grabbing a brush and brushing his coat. Phillip, normally a very calm horse, was not cooperating. It's like he knew Edmund was gone.

Once I had him done, I trudged back up to the house, tears in my eyes. I miss him. I've known him for two months and I miss him so much. I walked into the kitchen, seeing Linda with Edmund's meds in hand, sitting at the table. Polly was talking, like she was desperately trying to convince her of something.

"So, we can't go see him? What about Lucy? Can she?" I might get to see Edmund? Do I even hope for it?

"I don't know if Lucy is going to want to see him." Why wouldn't I? I'm dating him, of course I'd want to see him.

"Yes I would." I told Linda, everyone turning to look at me. They obviously hadn't heard me come in.

"Lucy, Edmund gets a little funny after a failed adoption." Polly winced at word failed. Especially because it didn't fail yet.

"What do you mean?" I asked, going to sit in a chair next to Digory.

"Edmund had some problems with anger before he came to live with the Kirks. The biggest problem being that he had a lot to be mad at and nowhere to be mad." Linda told me and I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Everyone gets mad sometimes." Polly grabbed my hand and squeezed.

"Lucy-Lu, Edmund had violent rages, to the point that he had to be restrained." See, that can't be right, because the maddest I've ever seen Edmund is when I asked about his step-dad. He can't be that scary.

"He's never been mad here." Polly gave a weak chuckle.

"That's why I make sure we have little fights every morning. It gets his anger out. But in the home, he'll have no one to argue with, and a lot to be mad about." That makes sense I guess, but I still can't see Edmund angry.

"I still want to see him. Please." Linda sighed.

"Since Lucy isn't a Kirk or a Taylor, she does have rights to visit him, but I just don't know what he's going to be like." She said with another deep sigh.

"So I can see him?" I gave her a puppy pout, like the one Edmund was trying to teach me to perfect. They all sighed,

"Go get cleaned up. We're going to leave soon." I rushed down to my room, throwing my shirt off on the way. When I was in my room, I started looking for something to wear. I pulled out a tee shirt with a giant lion on it. Marjorie always said it hugged everything right, so I really like it. I decided to just wear Edmund's shorts, because they fit well and were comfortable. I ran back into the kitchen, where Linda sighed, motioning me out to the driveway, where her Ford Focus was waiting.

It took us three, very silent hours to get to Albany. I considered falling asleep, but couldn't get thoughts of Edmund out of my head. When we pulled up to a very dark, bland brick building Linda turned to me one more time.

"Lucy, I'm serious. You can't judge him if he goes into rage. He hates it, but can't help it either." I nodded, thinking about what I was getting into. _Is he really that bad?_

"I need to see him. I miss him." She nodded with a frown, before opening her door and getting out. I did the same and followed her into the building.

We walked up to a big desk, where a lady was sitting sorting through paper.

"Hi Cindy." Linda said in an exasperated way, "How is he?" The girl, Cindy, put down her papers and gave us a smile.

"Haven't heard anything out of him, so he must be doing pretty good. You here to see him?" She had a slight Brooklyn accent, so she must be from the big city, not Albany.

"Yeah, I have to drop his heart medication off, and Lucy and I came for a quick visit." She smiled, leading us into a side room.

"I'll go get Edmund." She told us before leaving. I turned to Linda.

"How did she know who you are so well?"

"Every time Edmund rages, I have to come calm him down. I've got to know her over the year he was here." I nodded looking at my hands until I heard,

"LUCY!" I shot out of my chair and grabbed his neck, pulling him close, inhaling his scent. His arms wound their way around my waist, pulling me even closer. I had my head on his shoulder and lifted it to whisper in his ear.

"I missed you." We just stood there, his hands on my back, my head on his shoulder, until Linda cleared her throat. I wanted to smack her, because I could really stay like that forever. Edmund sat in the seat across from Linda, and instead of resuming my seat next to her, I pulled a chair right next to Edmunds side.

"Linda, you have a little explaining to do." His tone was biting and harsh, and I couldn't help but tense at the sound.

"Yes, Edmund I do." She said with a deep sigh, similar to the ones she had been giving since we left the ranch, "I knew Andrew was out of jail, but thought nothing of it." I felt a twinge of anger, but it changed to fear as Edmund shot out of his chair, causing it to fall to the floor.

"YOU KNEW HE WAS OUT OF JAIL!" I slid away from Edmund with an almost inaudible whimper. _So this is what Linda meant._

"Edmund, please calm down." Linda told him, obviously trying to be comforting.

"Considering the situation, I'm pretty damn calm." I let out another whimper, this one a little louder, but I don't think Edmund noticed, he was too busy trying to glare a hole in Linda. I had never seen him like this, and it was honestly scaring me.

"Edmund, please sit down." Linda asked quietly, still trying to calm him down. He glared at her, even as he picked up his chair and sat down. Linda continued when the glare turned to an expecting stare, "Yes, I knew he was out of jail, but didn't think I had to worry about him coming to claim you." Edmund actually growled and I scooted farther away, "I should've told you, but I was worried about what it would do to you. You weren't angry anymore, and you were just getting comfortable with the Kirks. I didn't want to ruin it." Edmund's glare returned.

"So you decided to wait until he burst into the court room during finalization? Just as a little surprise?" His tone was close to malicious, not something that I expected to hear from him.

"Edmund, I didn't come here today to fight with you." Linda told him, to which Edmund's face clenched up, like he was holding back everything he wanted to say.

"Why are you here?" His voice was still angry and biting, and was still scaring me.

"I wanted to tell you about your court date, and to bring you your medication." Linda responded, cool and collected. Edmund now looked distracted, like he was thinking of other things.

"When do I go to court?" He seemed calmer, which made me happy, but still wary.

"Lucy, I'm sorry, but you need to wait outside for now." Linda told me, and I all but ran out the door. I sat on the long bench, waiting for Linda. I started to think about what I just saw.

Was that really my Edmund? It was like he was going to flip the table over. The way Linda was asking, it was like she was expecting something worse. These were my thoughts as I sat on the bench waiting for Linda. It was a good five minutes until the door to the visitation room opened and Linda walked out.

"Hey Lucy, Edmund wants to talk to you." The look that she gave me said nothing less than 'I told you so!' She knew I couldn't handle seeing Edmund like this. I nodded meekly before walking into the room, like something was going to pop out and eat me. Edmund was standing by one of the chairs. He gave me a small smile, before looking determined at his feet. He was going into his shell. _To hell with that! I need answers!_ I went and grabbed his hand, trying to get him to look up at me.

"Are you okay?" I asked, for lack of anything else to say. The air was so tense you could almost see it. He didn't look up but instead just nodded."Has that happened before?" He started into a nod, before shaking his head. I breathed a sigh of relief. I knew Edmund couldn't get mad all the time. "No, you've never been mad like that before?" He spoke for the first time since I entered the room.

"No, I've thrown rages before, but I've never been able to calm myself down." I dropped his hand out of reflex, taking a step back. He slumped into a chair looking defeated, "its okay Lucy, I understand." I stared at him, wondering if he was expecting me to break up with me. I got to thinking about what had happened to him. He can't remember his mom, his step-dad beat him, he's been in foster care since he was six, for two years he was in and out of hospitals, he's been put back into the system six times, he finds a family who wants him and gets them taken away; I think anyone would be angry. I took another look at him, noticing he looked close to tears. Then I realized something very important; I love him.

I started walking forward, before my head took over, telling me that we just didn't match up. I instead listened to my heart that was screaming three words at me, "YOU LOVE HIM!" When I reached where Edmund was sitting, I placed my fingers under his chin, kissing him softly. He didn't do anything for a second, which was long enough for me to be scared that he gave up, but he kissed back, lightly and full of passion. When I did pull away, I gave him a shy smile.

"I'm not going anywhere." His grin answered the question my head had been yelling at me, "Does he love you back?" He pressed his lips to mine, pulling my arm so I ended up sitting in his lap. I pressed my lips harder to his, wrapping my arms around his neck, tangling my hands into his hair. His arms wrapped around my waist, his hands rubbing my back. I love his hands. They're big and strong, from hours of work on the ranch, but they're also gentle. I love just watching his hands when I think he's not watching. I flicked his lips with my tongue, and they parted instantly. I claimed dominance this time, exploring all of his mouth, until he pulled away, looking into my eyes. I understood completely. I was leaving soon, forty minutes at most. He was staying here. Obviously we couldn't get to excited. I was trying to catch my breath when I whispered, "Hi." He gave a laugh, indicating he was having the same problem catching his breath as me.

"That's a hell of a hello." I let out a girlish giggle, watching as he looked me up and down. I stared at his hands as he did this, "Are those my shorts?" I laughed as I remembered I was, indeed, wearing his shorts.

"Yeah. Polly gave them to me when you first had your attack and couldn't help around the ranch. She said they were old and didn't fit anymore." He had a grin on his face.

"Geez, I'm gone for one day and you give away all my stuff." I laughed lightly, sitting in his lap, pillowing my head in his shoulder.

"When are you coming home? It's too quiet." I asked, muffled by his neck. He wrapped his arms around me, kissing my hair.

"Linda said a month, at least." I gasped and looked up at him.

"I'm leaving in two weeks." His brown eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as he pulled me tighter.

"I won't get to say goodbye." I could tell he was close to tears, so I pressed my lips to his. When we pulled away, I pressed my forehead to his, and decided to take the plunge and just tell him.

"I love you Edmund." He grinned brightly, and I knew what his answer was automatically.

"I love you too Luc." He desperately pressed his lips to mine, pulling me closer. We separated and just sat there. His hands rubbed my back and my stomach and my neck, and the caressed my neck. I could've stayed that way forever, but Linda and some nun came in and made us go in our separate directions.

As I sat in Linda's car on the way back to Felimath, tears coursed down my face. My heart was telling me, "At least he knows how you feel." My head on the other hand, was laughing at me and saying, "I told you so." I didn't know who to listen to, because both made me want to cry.

**A/N: This suxs I know! Writers block is a terrible thing that has stopped by my brain. I put this up because i was getting some nasty PM's about not updating. I'll try and make the next one better! DONT HATE ME! Review!**

**Special thanks to VampyKaee who's stories gave me the motivation to not just delete this story in my frustration! I love them ALL!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine!**


	21. Superman to the Rescue

A/N: Hello my faithful readers! I'm sorry this took so long, I got busy with school and then Writers Block attacked! This came to me in a dream, and I hope it doesn't completly suck! It's kinda like the Peter Redemption!

Peter's POV

I got out of morning exercise, pulling out the letter I had gotten from Edmund. I had about an hour to read it and write a reply. We were supposed to be cleaning barracks, but my space was immaculate, so I always had that time to myself. I flopped on my bunk, sliding my finger under the envelope. The scrawly handwriting was quite obviously from a teenager, so his parents weren't writing it, which means Ed's still living:

_Dear Pete,_

_I was wondering if you could do me a favor. I need you to call my house (212-479-7990) and tell Digory and Polly I love them, and hope everything works out. I understand if you can't with military code and all, but if you could give it a try, I'm sure they'd appreciate it._

_You're probably wondering why I need you to call them, if I'm supposed to be living with them and finalized. Well, your father stepped in right as we were about to sign the papers and wants his legal rights to me. _Oh no, he's living with Dad again_. The judge didn't hand me over right away, but right now we're in a custody battle, I'm back in state care, and I'm technically not allowed any contact with Digory or Polly. It's been three months and I haven't talked to my parents, so if you could call them for me._

_Also, if you could pull some military-army-superhero move and make Andrew drop the case, I'd appreciate it. Maybe my social worker would have an idea of what you could do. (518-935-4012) Ask for Linda and tell her it's about me._

_Peter, I'd really, really like to be a Kirke. Can you help me?_

_Love,_

_Eddie_

I just sat stunned for a few moments. How could my Dad do that to Edmund. I mean, yeah, he didn't like him, but why would he try and ruin his life? I stood up, straightened my bed covers, and walked out to find Sergeant Glenstorm.

I found him in the Officers Club, and I hesitated a minute. Techniclly, I wasn't allowed in the Officers Club, being only a Private First Class, but I knew that Glenstorm had always had a soft spot for Edmund, ever since he came over for dinner and Edmund tried to salute him, but toppled over instead, so I slunk in and walked up to him.

"Excuse me Sir?" He turned to look at me, obviously shocked that I was there.

"Taylor?" His eyebrows furrowed, in confusion and what could soon be anger, "What are you doing in here? You're not an officer." I shook my head.

"No Sir." I handed him Edmund's letter, hoping that would explain why I was in one of the areas of camp that Privates dare not tread. He narrowed his eyes at me, before scanning the letter quickly, his eyes widening every second. After he finished, he handed the piece of notebook paper back to me and looked straight into my eyes.

"Your father isn't the man I thought he was." I shook my head.

"No sir." I was looking at my feet, trying not to cry. I had always defended my dad's actions against Edmund, even sometimes to Edmund, but I couldn't this time, and not just because I was out-ranked. I was honestly ashamed of my father. Glenstorm motioned for me to follow him out of the small bar and into his office and motioned at the phone in the corner.

"Call Edmund's family. I think there's a message in that letter for them. Tell them that we'll get this sorted out." I nodded and walked over and called the number on the letter. The phone rang three times before a tired voice answered the phone.

"Narnia Ranch, Polly speaking."

"Mrs. Kirke, It's Peter Taylor, Edmund's brother."

"Oh, hello Peter." Her voice sounded a bit more cheery, but I could tell it was forced, "Edmund's not here." Her voice choked, like she was hiding sobs.

"Actually, I know. I got a letter from him and-" I didn't get to finish, because Mrs. Kirke interrupted me.

"Is he okay? Is he taking his meds? Has he gone into rages? Is his heart feeling okay?" I gently intergected,

"He really didn't tell me a lot of how he was, but he did give me a message for you and Mr. Kirke."

"Hold on a minute, let me go get him." I heard silence on the other line, before I could tell I was put on Speaker phone, "What did he say?" I held up the letter, reading straight from it.

"I need you to call my house and tell Digory and Polly I love them, and hope everything works out." I heard Mrs. Kirke break into tears. Since Mrs. Kirke was out of commission, a deep male voice, who I assume was Mr. Kirke, took over.

"Thank you Peter. It's been hell, not knowing how he is."

"An old family friend and I are going to fix this, I promise."

"Thank you."

"I'm so sorry. I can't even make an excuse for him, not for this." I told them, wishing for Edmund's lineage. I'd rather not know who my dad was, than have this on my shoulders.

"It's not your fault Peter, It's truly not." Mrs. Kirke choked out.

"I'm going to fix this." I told her with determination.

"I believe you. You're Superman." I laughed weakly.

"Goodbye Mr. and Mrs. Kirke."

"Goodbye Love."


	22. The End

**A/N: This is probably going to be the last chapter, or I might do an Epilogue if I feel like it. I'm going to put a poll up on my Profile. Sequel anyone?**

Digory's Pov

Polly and I were in the living room, sitting on the couch. I could tell that Polly wanted to get up and move and do something. Edmund, after three months away from us, was coming home. I didn't know what to expect from him. I didn't know whether he would be happy to be home, or upset that he had ended up back in the system. If he was upset, and didn't trust us yet, we would have to work for another twelve months to gain his trust back.

I heard a car pull up the driveway, and stood up like the couch was on fire. Polly sprinted out of the house, desperate to see Edmund. I walked a little slower, trying to decide how I thought he would react. Linda and Peter climbed out of the front seats, but there was no sign of Edmund anywhere. Peter walked around to the side door and pulled something. Guessing by Polly's gasp, she knew exactly what and who it was, but it wasn't until Polly sprinted over trying to brush his hair away, that I figured it out.

Edmund.

However, he was nowhere close to the Edmund who lived with us three months. He was paler than normal, and looked extremely small and weak in Peter's arms. I walked over in time to hear Polly ask what in the hell happened to our son. I reached out my arms, taking the extremely light Edmund into my arms. The motion seemed to rouse him a little, because he fidgeted in my arms. Polly ran her fingers over his bruised cheekbone, pushing his hair out of his eyes right as they opened. His eyes landed on Polly and his weak voice croaked out, "Polly?" Polly grabbed his hand, rubbing circles on it.

"It's me Love. I'm right here." With a tired blink, he looked around almost unnoticeably.

"Is Digory here?" My heart swelled at the knowledge that Edmund was looking for me.

"I'm right here Ed." Edmund, God save the person who ever says this to him, snuggled deeper into my chest, and I pulled him closer.

"Am I home?" Those three words rolling off of his tongue were enough to make my heart want to fly out of my chest and Polly burst into tears.

"You're home Love, You're safe." He shot Polly a tiny, tired smile, before asking in his usual sarcastic witty tone,

"I'm going to go to sleep now, is that okay?" We both returned his smile, and Polly responded, brushing the hair out of his face,

"Sleep Love, It'll be alright."

"I love you mom." He murmured before pillowing into my chest and drifting off to sleep.

I carried Edmund to his room, while Polly got coffee ready for all of our visitors. I set Edmund on his bed, walking over to his dresser and pulling out a pair of pajama pants. It was when I stripped his shirt that I saw the true extent of his damage.

His skin was pale and bruised, as well as pulled tightly over his ribs, making them easy to count. He stirred a little when I moved to place him down on his bed, after successfully changing him into his sleep clothes.

"Digory?" His voice came from under the covers, just as I was walking out the door. I turned back around and sat on the bed beside him, brushing his fringe away from his eyes.

"I'm right here Ed." He breathed deeply, his brown eyes open, but appearing to be unseeing. He reached out and grabbed my hand.

"Do you really want me?" I squeezed his hand, because I knew this conversation would come up.

"I pity the person who tries to take you away from us." He smiled at me, not his usual mischievous smirk, but a true smile, "I love you Edmund."

"I love you too dad." I kissed his forehead as he drifted off to sleep.

Polly's Pov

I swear I owe Peter Taylor more than I could ever give him. He truly is Superman. I'll never know how he got that child abusing jack-ass to drop the case, and I honestly don't care, but what I do know is that today, He and Linda are bringing Edmund home. This reminds me so much of when Edmund moved in, except now I know what to expect in him.

When we heard the car pull up in the driveway, Digory and I both jumped up out of our seats on the couch, where we were pretending to watch T.V. I all but sprinted out of the house. I was worried when I didn't see Edmund getting out of the car. My nerves increased when Peter went to the backseat and carried a very limp Edmund out.

I gasped at his appearance. He was pale and skinny, somehow looking shorter in his brother's arms. I shook myself out of my state of shock and ran to where Peter was cradling Edmund in his arms. Peter had started to walk to the house, his eyes on Edmund and not paying attention to me running towards him, therefore when I moved to brush Edmund's hair out of his face, he pulled him closer and away, until he looked up and saw who it was.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Kirke. I guess I've been a little jumpy since we found him like this." I hummed, never taking my eyes off of Edmund's face. It was bruised and bandaged. His cheekbones were more prominent than normal, due to the fact that his face was thinner.

"What happened?" I asked, as Digory came and took him out of Peter's arms. At the motion, Edmund seemed to stir a little. I pushed his hair out of his face, running my fingertips lightly over his bruised cheek. He opened his beautiful amber eyes, looking right at me.

"Polly?" His voice sounded weak and unused. I took his hand, noticing scrapes on it, as if he had fallen on gravel, and bruised knuckles.

"It's me Love. I'm right here." He blinked a little.

"Is Digory here?" I saw Digory, most likely unconsciously, pull Edmund closer.

"I'm right here Ed." I saw Edmund pillow his head in Digory's chest.

"Am I home?" I couldn't hold my tears back anymore.

"You're home Love, You're safe." He gave a weak smile, similar to the ones he gave when he first moved in.

"I'm going to go to sleep now, is that okay?" I returned his smile, tears still flowing down my face.

"Sleep Love, It'll be alright."

"I Love you mom." He managed to murmur out, pillowing deeper into Digory's chest.

While Digory went and took him to his room, I made coffee in the kitchen and pulled out the cookies I had made earlier for Edmund. I just didn't expect that he wouldn't be able to eat them.

"Linda, what happened?" I asked, with my hands shaking. She picked up her coffee cup, drinking it black.

"Well, the reason he's so thin is because he got extremely sick at the Children's home, and couldn't keep anything down." She heaved a sigh, "When he recovered, I guess he started giving his food to a little girl who clung to him pretty tightly, so he never put the weight back on, and the caregivers never noticed." She took a sip of her coffee, "I was never informed of any of this, and trust me when I tell you I threw a fit over that." I gave a small hum, before turning to Peter.

"How do you drink your coffee Love?"

"Black is fine, thanks." If only to keep my hands busy and not think about all the pain my baby is in right now, I poured Digory's coffee as well, putting in the milk and sugar he liked. I slumped down at the table, running my hands through my hair.

"What about the bruises?" Digory asked as he walked into the kitchen. Linda sighed and Peter tightened his fists, while I just handed him his drink.

"Well, some of Edmund's old bullies made a return appearance, but all at once." Linda told us, and Peter spoke up for the first time, aside from thanking me for coffee.

"It was seven healthy boys, to one severely underweight teenager with a heart condition. I guess the nuns got there just in time to stop them from really hurting him." I gasped and Digory grabbed my hand, holding it tight. We sat in silence, just drinking our coffee, for about thirty minutes, until Edmund padded into the kitchen in his pajama pants and no shirt.

Without the shirt, I could see his ribs and all of them were bruised. He walked over to his normal seat at the table, which had somehow remained vacant, and slid in beside Peter and Digory. I walked over and placed my hands on his shoulders, just needing to hold him to make sure he was still there. Peter stood up and removed his 'Army Strong' sweatshirt, holding it out to Edmund.

"Ed," Edmund turned his head, staring at the sweatshirt for a few seconds, as if he was just registering that he wasn't wearing a shirt. He took the shirt and put it on, before leaning back into my arms that were wrapped around his neck.

"Edmund, you should get some sleep." He shook his head, his tired brown eyes meeting mine.

"M' hungry." He muttered out and I let out a tiny laugh. I kissed his cheek, before moving to grab the cinnamon bread out of the cabinet and cut him a slice. He took it from me and nibbled lightly, leaning his head over on his brother's shoulder. He looked up into Peter's eyes, and I could see a hint of the mischief that had come to define him, "I'm keeping the sweatshirt." Peter gave a small laugh, pulling Edmund close enough to kiss his forehead.

"Go for it."

"Well, I was going to come back tomorrow, because I didn't expect Edmund to be awake today, but I brought the adoption papers and if you want to go ahead and sign-"

"Where's the pen?" The three of us shouted at the same time, interrupting whatever else Linda planned on saying, setting everyone in the room into laughter.

It took thirty seconds. It took four signatures. Edmund Miller was no more. He was now officially a Kirke.

~The End~


End file.
